Bill Proposes Stiffer Penalties for Drug Abuse

A state senator, lashing out at UCLA’s athletic drug-testing policies, has introduced a bill that would mandate a ban for any player at a state-funded public university who fails two drug tests.

The bill, introduced last week by State Sen. Pete Knight (R-Palmdale), also would require drug testing and attendance at drug-prevention seminars for student-athletes in all University of California and California State University schools.

According to Rod Olsen, an aide for Knight, the introduction of the bill was, for the most part, in reaction to the recent alleged failing of repeated drug tests by UCLA center Jelani McCoy, who recently resigned from the team.

The bill, if passed, would mean that all student-athletes would be tested twice each school year. Upon a player’s first failed drug test, he or she would be immediately suspended for three months.

“It’s about time universities take this issue seriously,” Knight said in a statement. “We cannot allow these athletes to continually test positive, three to five times in some cases, without some ramifications.”

According to sources, UCLA was limited in what action it could take against McCoy by loopholes in its newly revised policy. Only after a month of negotiations were UCLA lawyers able to force McCoy to resign from the team, sources said.

“UCLA’s drug-testing program is a joke,” said Olsen, who added that all California campuses currently test their student-athletes. “It’s the most lenient in the state, by our research. Even Fresno State’s is tougher. Sacramento State’s is tougher.

“It seems like it’s a program in place so the players can remain on the team--not to treat any addictions.”

UCLA’s former policy wiped away any positive tests at the end of each school year.

A revision, instituted last summer, made all positive tests cumulative throughout a student-athlete’s career, but was not clear whether positives incurred before the revision counted under the new policy.

Under the new policy, upon the first and second positive tests of a player’s career, the UCLA student-athlete must go to counseling, without suspension.

Only upon a third positive is the player suspended from the next scheduled contest. A fourth positive results in an immediate suspension and the non-renewal of his or her scholarship for the next academic year.

Marc Dellins, UCLA sports information director, said the school had not seen a copy of Knight’s bill.

“It would be premature for UCLA to comment until we have seen the legislation,” Dellins said.