Footballers call for party drug ban to be lifted

[T]

Article from the SMH raises some interesting ideas...
Should a player who returns a positive result for a party drug be slapped with a ban, even though the drugs are not performance enhancing??

Footballers & party drugs

 

[dibo]

Robbie Fowler says lift the ban:

 

[T]

Bozza would no doubt agree

 

[ryan]

If it is an illegal drug then the player should be banned

 

[kevrenor]

If it is an illegal drug then the player should be banned

Yeah really works like that! Drugs are legal in countries - are in some, not in others. Those countries deal with it.

This is about world wide sports administration banning players based on a range of usually legal substances that do not enhance a players performance, therefore are not any business of the sports administration and should not have sports men and women banned.

 

[pjennings]

Yeah really works like that! Drugs are legal in countries - are in some, not in others. Those countries deal with it.

This is about world wide sports administration banning players based on a range of usually legal substances that do not enhance a players performance, therefore are not any business of the sports administration and should not have sports men and women banned.

My problem comes not from the legality/illegality of the drug. It is more how that drug affects performance. If it aids performance a ban is appropriate. If it is detrimental to performance then maybe the employer should be looking at how the player is recompensed. Maybe the next contract should stipulate the forfeiting of certain percentages for positive tests.

I know it is a grey and tricky area and I don't pretend to know the answers.