The Winter Olympics are under way and amid all the pomp and circumstance, they also bring the issue of drug testing back into the news.
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (VANOC) decided early on to take the unique approach of emphasizing both anti-doping education and detection/deterrence. Their state-of-the-art anti-doping program has been in the works ever since Vancouver was selected as the host city nearly seven years before the Games began.
Drug Test Increase at Olympics
Nearly 2,000 blood and urine tests will be collected during these Olympic Games. This is a significant increase in the number of samples from previous Games and the most number of doping control tests in the history of the Winter Games, according to www.vancouver2010.com.
“It will send a very strong message to athletes that doping is unacceptable,” said Jeremy Luke, VANOC’s director of Anti-Doping.
All of these tests will be analyzed in an anti-doping laboratory located at the Richmond Olympic Oval. To ensure that athletes feel comfortable during the doping control process, 700 volunteers have been trained to act as doping control officers, blood collection officers and chaperones during the Games.
Drug Tests in the Public
Of course, you don’t have to be an elite athlete to be required to take a drug test. It’s becoming standard practice for federal employees, professional drivers, college athletes, even workers at private corporations to be tested for drug use now. Past drug offenders may also need to undergo regular testing as a condition of their parole.
Drug testing is a very scientific process. The substances that the test screens for stay in the blood the shortest amount of time (from six hours to several days). Those same substances remain in urine for a longer period (anywhere from 1 day to six weeks) and most people would be surprised to find that drugs or illicit substances can be found in hair samples up to 90 days after use.
Despite the fear of getting caught, approximately five percent of urine tests still come back positive, leading to negative or even devastating consequences for the person involved.
Drug Rehab
Whether you’re an elite athlete or a 9 to 5 worker who has developed a drug addiction, help is available. Call The Canyon at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
