OAKLAND, Calif., May 9 (UPI) -- State officials, notably in California, are acting to stop the spread of the performance-enhancing drugs with programs and possible steroid testing.
Last week California became the first state to establish steroid rules for high school students and seven other states have measures in their legislatures that would increase penalties for dealing in such drugs or institute steroid testing, the Christian Science Monitor reported Monday.
State-level officials were moved to act in the wake of recent congressional hearings that included some high-profile names. While testimony from Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa grabbed headlines, perhaps the most telling story was related by parents whose child's suicide was linked to steroid use.
The Monitor, citing Centers for Disease Control statistics, said between 1991 and 2003, the number of high school students who admitted to taking steroids doubled to 6 percent.
Steroid testing is very expensive, so states are looking for other methods to stop such abuse. The California Interscholastic Federation passed new rules requiring each high school coach to complete a steroid education program this year, the Monitor said.
