Should the AFL amend their Drug Policy?
There is growing momentum among the AFL Clubs towards the AFL to amend its drug policy, which I guess is nothing that is all that new but with the AFL to meet with the Federal Government and the ALFPA in early 2008 the policy will be high on the agenda.
Adelaide and Port Adelaide are the latest clubs to express their opinions towards the policy and how it could be improved. I think most clubs are of the view that the three strikes rule needs at least a review and that more testing needs to be conducted.
The Policy
The AFL’s drug policy is very closely tied into that of the Federal Governments stance on illicit drug use, and both parties have common goals they are trying to achieve. Yet there are still misunderstandings about the AFL’s policy. I remember when the ex Treasurer Peter Costello said something along the lines of: the code was not tough enough because players were not named or sanctioned until their third offence, and that the AFL code allows people to be caught without suffering any consequences. But from what I understand this is not what AFL’s policy does.
A few misunderstandings
Talking to a lot of football followers there are still a lot of people who misunderstand what the AFL’s policy is all about. The AFL have quite a comprehensive policy in the treatment of initial findings of non-performance enhancing drug use in that they use medical intervention as the first response, probably better treatment than you and I would get. Most of the misunderstandings are centered on the 3 strikes rule. The assumption is that the AFL doesn’t take any action until a player is caught on the third occasion.
This is simply not true.
If a player is caught for the first time or there is a subsequent relapse, it is managed confidentially as a health issue, with the AFL Medical Commissioner and individual club medical officer being notified. The treatment includes appropriate counselling and treatment services. I was reading an open letter on the AFL Players Association website that was written by experts in the fields of medicine, drug dependency and law enforcement, and they outline that they believe that any drugs in sports policy must have a prime objective of the health and welfare of the player concerned. The policy of all governments in Australia in regards to people found using illicit drugs are often diverted towards the treatment of the medical condition and away from the justice system, which is what the AFL does.
What the Clubs want
From a clubs point of view, there are a few suggesting to the AFL that they should be involved in the entire process and that the CEO should know as well as the medical officers so that the club can help rehabilitate the player involved as well. And also that the three strikes rule should be reduced to two.
The AFL Drug policy is ground breaking but there are obviously concerns from clubs and they think it needs to be tightened. If the AFL is serious about protecting the “AFL Brand” then they will change the policy from three strikes to at least two strikes, and introduce more testing in and out of competition.
I am sure the AFL have done a lot of research into this and have determined that this is the best way to go, and I think that the AFL Clubs need to do a bit more research to determine if what they are suggesting is in the best interests of the player / players concerned.
Post your comments below on whether you think the AFL’s policy is too lenient…
