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Essay on Routine Drug Testing For High School Athletes

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Patricia Neal once said, “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug” (Neal). However, many teenagers of this era, large part athletes, seem to think differently and they constantly use illegal drugs. To help fight this problem, many colleges have taken strong actions in trying to stop drug abuse by athletes. High schools throughout the country have considered taking these same actions for various reasons as well. Some people believe that high school athletes ought to be given a routine drug test because it will help prevent them from abusing illegal substances. Such actions will also help detect cheaters who use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to get an edge over their opponents. On the other hand, …show more content…

If a drug testing system is set up for high school athletes, then those athletes who are tempted to use illegal substances will think twice before using them. Furthermore, those athletes that test positive for these substances will get suspended from their respective teams and this will create a healthier environment—at least in high school sports. A routine drug testing system in high school will help detect cheaters who use performance-enhancing drugs to get and edge over their opponents. In today’s world, with the competitiveness and popularity of steroids and other PEDs among professional athletes, it is not difficult to believe that many high school athletes are doing the same. A 2003 study examining steroid use among teens in the United States showed that 6.1 percent had illegally used steroids and 3.2 percent had injected an illegal drug one or more times during their lifetime ("Teens and Drugs Fast Facts"). Nevertheless, if a routine drug testing system is established, those who are caught cheating will most likely get suspended or even banned from high school sports thus making the competitive field more leveled. In addition, those who are tempted to use performance-enhancers will be less likely to in order to avoid the consequences. In 1996, while admitting to the use of anabolic steroids, Arnold Schwarzenegger stated, “It was what I had to do to compete. The danger with steroids is over-usage. I only did it before a difficult competition—for two

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