Last year Texas tested 2,633 high school athletes for anabolic steroids at a cost of $500,000. It found zero positive tests.
The seven-year program at its height had a $3 million price tag, but with similarly low results.
Last Wednesday the state's Sunset Advisory Commission voted to eliminate testing for steroids, but some still think it is a necessary deterrent for youth. Advocates point to the fact that the test was for too few steroids and didn't include Human Growth Hormone, which has increased since 2009 according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
Guests:
- Don Hooton, president of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, a leading advocate of steroid testing for high-school students. Don's son Taylor died after using steroids to improve his performance.
*This is the second segment in the August 18 edition of The Source, which airs at 3 p.m. on KSTX 89.1 FM. Audio from this show will be posted by 5:30 p.m.
