New MLB drug plan revealed

NEW YORK, May 23 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball owners and players ratified a policy including amnesty for those named in a report on drug use in baseball, officials in New York said.

The agreement raises the number of drug tests to 3,600 -- an average of three a year for each major league player. The drug program will be under the "independent program administrator," who can authorize up to 375 off-season tests over his three-year term.

The first such administrator will be Dr. Bryan Smith, a release from MLB said. He was given an initial term of three years.

Also, the players' union will contribute $200,000 toward an anti-drug charitable or research organization and agreed to participate in programs informing youth of the dangers of performance-enhancing substances.

The deal also removes the threat of disciplinary action against the approximately 90 players mentioned in last December's Mitchell Report.

The changes to the existing Joint Drug Agreement are a direct result of the Mitchell Report, which also led to Capitol Hill hearings on alleged use of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.