Why We Should Start Testing Now

The whole idea of starting to test high school students isn't a "gotcha program" , it is to help save our youth from bad habits and teaching them good morals. By starting, or continuing this program, it will lower the amount of teenage lives lost physically and mentally to innocent teenagers just trying to "Buff Up" to impress peers. I know schools that don’t test for steroids do test athletes for other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The tests for so-called recreational drugs are relatively inexpensive, but if you’re going to test for drugs that don’t enhance performance, you’re just playing to the bleachers: “Look, we’re testing the athletes for drugs.” But you’re not testing them for the drugs that matter in this regard, the ones that equate with cheating. You can lecture kids all you want about the dangers of steroids, about the incredible shrinking testicles and acne blooms and possible liver damage down the road. There are always going to be some, just as there are some athletes at every stage of competition, who are willing to take the risks if they can see a clear reward. By just by putting a little more income into steroid tests that really make a dramatic difference we can save those that really think steroids are going to bring them the huge reward they expected. If we do not start testing now the number of high school athletes using steroids will just keep increasing drastically because they know they will get away with it. THE CHANGE NEEDS TO START NOW!