The Association of Boxing Commission ("ABC") at its recent conference in Clearwater, Florida, took an important step in the prevention of abuse of performance enhancing drugs ("PED's"). The ABC unanimously voted to adopt the World Anti-Doping ("WADA") Prohibited List, thus standardizing the list of prohibited drugs among states and tribes.
This accomplishes several things.
1) It standardizes substances which are prohibited among the different jurisdictions.
2) It simplifies the ability to check whether substances are prohibited since WADA keeps a comprehensive list on line at
http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/World_Anti-Doping_Program/WADP-Prohibited-list/2012/WADA_Prohibited_List_2012_EN.pdf (or simply put "WADA Prohibited List" in your search engine).
3) It makes it possible for Fighters to, in many cases, determine whether specific drugs contain prohibited substances since WADA and associated groups have an interactive website where the name of a drug can be entered and the website will inform the viewer whether the drug is prohibited. See
http://www.globaldro.com/ and follow the prompts or just put "globaldro" into a search engine. For instance, if one enters "ibuprofen" one will find it is not prohibited. If one enters "testosterone," the substance shows up as clearly prohibited.
4) The list is maintained in English and Spanish and can be accessed by iphones and mobile devices.
There are rare instances where a fighter may be legitimately prescribed what would otherwise be a prohibited drug, such as typical medications used by asthmatics. In such instances athletes must disclose the use prior to competition, prior to any testing, and must apply for a therapeutic use exemption. For a therapeutic use exemption application a fighter should contact the athletic commission of his/her home jurisdiction and any jurisdiction where they have a bout scheduled. Disclosure and a therapeutic use exemption is crucial; otherwise using a prescribed drug on the prohibited list or containing substances on the prohibited list will be grounds for discipline.
Fighters should also take great care as to any supplements they may take, as they are accountable for taking such supplements as well if a drug test turns up positive for a PED due to a substance in a supplement.
