Missouri considers H.S. steroid testing

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A proposed Missouri law would require all state high schools to test students for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

The bill's sponsor said that teenagers feel pressure to do whatever they can to compete, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"It's a frightening world," said state Sen. Matt Bartle, a Republican. "There are a lot of kids who feel that competitive pressure."

A number of states, including New Jersey, Texas and Florida, have already adopted steroid-testing laws.

The Illinois High School Association approved random testing for student athletes at its meeting Monday, the newspaper said. The testing would begin in the fall.

About 95 percent of the high schools in the state are covered by IHSA regulations.

"Our new testing policy will protect the health of our youth and give students a reason to say no when the pressures mount to take a shortcut," Marty Hickman, the association's executive director, said in a statement.