Just received an e-mail from the office U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer about a potential breakthrough in legislation aimed at cracking down on HGH.
It reads, in part:
The U.S. Senate today averted a standoff over legislation authored by U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) that would crack down on abuse of human growth hormone (HGH). The breakthrough came when two Senate Republicans who had been anonymously blocking the measure identified themselves to Schumer, saying they'd work to help pass the stalled measure by Monday.
The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Schumer and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), had been in limbo since last week due to secret holds placed on it by Senate Republicans who were able to keep their identities hidden under Senate rules. But after Schumer announced his intention this morning to take up the measure on the Senate floor, those anonymous Republicans approached Schumer and agreed to cooperate on passing the resolution by Monday.
Currently, HGH is not a controlled substance and simple possession of it is not a criminal offense. The Schumer-Grassley proposal (S.877) would amend the Controlled Substances Act to add HGH as a Schedule III substance, thus equating it with anabolic steroids in the eyes of the law. Under Schumer's proposal, if a person possesses HGH without a current, valid prescription, he or she could be imprisoned for up to three years, depending on the circumstances of the case.
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It's pretty obvious this could have major implications for the NFL, which does not currently test for HGH, in part because the league contends there is no reliable test for it. The NFL Players Association agrees with this stance.
But if this legislation goes through, it pretty much makes it a slam dunk that the league will have to find some way to deal with the situation, since at least a portion of the players are believed to use HGH.
Stay tuned on this one.
Comments (2)
Hey, Glauber, how come you don't get more comments? Is anybody reading?
Hey, Chamini, how come you're not a better golfer?