Steroid Testing in High School

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4556250/ns/sports-other_sports/page/2/

I was reading on msnbc.com today and read an interesting article on a subject that has been in the news and all over television in the last few years, steroid use in high school. Steroids are a huge problem right now when it comes to teenage high school boys. In the eyes of Mike Celizic there is a solution, steroid drug testing. Many schools have been asked the question on why they will not start testing for steroids but will continue to test for other drugs such as, marijuana. They all give the same answer, we would if we could but we can’t afford it. The standard steroid test costs about 50 dollars for each test and the test, for other drugs the test is much cheaper. The problems with money are there, and know one will argue with that, but are we going to let that stop us from having these kids take these tests? Many young teenage kids in high school can only see the benefit with zero punishment. They can get stronger, faster, and in their eyes better looking if only they could get a hold of some steroids. Everyone knows that you can tell a teenager about the lasting effects of steroids, but will they listen to the side effects that we tell them? Mike Celizic doesn’t think so. He thinks that many of these kids can only see the positive side effects of steroids. Look at Major League Baseball, who has in just the last few years started testing for performance enhancing drugs. These guys are worth millions and they have come out and admitted using steroids. These pro ball players are many of these teenagers’ hero’s. You can turn on your television and see Arnold Schwarzenegger in the governor’s mansion, and he has come out publicly admitting that he had done steroids. What teenage boy can’t picture them self with a million dollar contract driving whatever they please and getting all the girls. On top of that, they can’t get in trouble at school for doing these drugs. Mike Celizic thinks that the government should step in and either give money for these tests or make them mandated if you are playing in high school sports.

My first reaction to this article was that those tests are not as expensive as I had originally thought they were. I thought they were in the hundreds of dollars per test, not just fifty dollars a peice. I participated in high school sports and we had drug testing. I believe that this testing kept many from taking drugs but we all knew what we were being tested for. If steroids were tested, in my opinion, a great majority of the kids would quit taking them.

I reacted this way because if you participate in high school sports and are drug tested, you only get tested a few times a year. It’s very random and the luck of the draw. Maybe they could take fewer tests to compensate for the cost? I believe that if the kids thought they even had a chance of getting caught for steroids many of them would not do them.

I vote yes on steroid testing in high school.