Department of Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA)

Effective: 1/1/1989

Revised: 12/1/2010

ICA 405: Student-Athlete Drug Education and Testing

Purpose

To explain the university’s student-athlete drug education and testing policy

Source

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

Applicability

Student-athletes

Policy

The priority for Arizona State University is to provide a safe, healthy environment and culture for all student-athletes. The Intercollegiate Athletic Department (ICA) focuses on supporting a student-athlete’s educational and personal success. To this end, the following Drug Education and Testing policy has at its core an effort to reinforce consequences and reward personal growth and educational triumph. The drug policy seeks to:

1. protect the health, safety, and welfare of all student-athletes
2. maintain the integrity of the athletic program by emphasizing abstinence from the use of unauthorized controlled substances and alcohol
3. educate student-athletes on the physical, psychological, social, and legal consequences of substance abuse (see ICA 405A)
4. provide an early detection system for student-athletes who have an issue with alcohol or drug use (ICA 405A, B, C), and provide intervention and treatment

   and

5. provide an even level of play in intercollegiate athletics.

The policy is heavily focused on education through interaction with medical and psychological professionals. It provides student-athletes with available resources to participate in learning more about personal issues such as alcohol, drug, and dietary supplement usage. It is recognized that since drug and alcohol abuse is a serious social and health problem in today’s society, it is critical for student-athletes to learn immediately upon entering ASU that the use or abuse of certain drugs can be a severe detriment to their general health, educational success, as well as their athletic performance and the well-being of fellow teammates and competitors.

While ASU cannot ensure that all student-athletes will refrain from the use of alcohol, drugs, and dietary supplement usage, it is incumbent upon ICA to reduce the likelihood of use, abuse, and dependence. The following drug education and screening policy procedures for ASU student-athletes are designed in an attempt to provide primary prevention through education and intervention if/when a student-athlete uses any banned substance. In whole, these procedures provide student-athletes with the opportunity to learn about the effects of certain drugs, reduce the impact of alcohol/drugs on their lives, and participate in a drug-free environment.

This policy has been reviewed and approved by appropriate Arizona State University personnel. ASU reserves the right to change this policy when necessary.

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Wellness and Substance Abuse Education

Education Program

ICA will conduct a health and wellness education program for all student-athletes at least once a semester to educate ASU student-athletes regarding student-athlete health and wellness. As part of this health and wellness education program, ICA will educate ASU student-athletes about the harmful effects of the use of drugs, the ASU student-athlete drug prevention, testing and treatment program, and those elements required by the NCAA for drug education programs (see ICA 405D). The health and wellness education program will be reviewed and approved by the vice president for University Athletics on an annual basis.

Use of Tobacco

In accordance with NCAA policy, the use of tobacco products is prohibited by all student-athletes and all game personnel (including, but not limited to, coaches, athletic trainers, managers, and game officials) in all sports during practice and competition.

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Substance Abuse Treatment and Services

Treatment Team

The team physician will identify and convene, as necessary, an interdisciplinary substance abuse treatment team. The treatment team will include the following members:

1. a physician
2. a psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor
3. a member of the ASU training staff

   and

4. the senior associate athletic director and his or her designee.

The treatment team will develop a written substance abuse treatment plan for each student-athlete to whom substance abuse treatment services are provided. All substance abuse treatment plans will be submitted to the vice president for University Athletics for review and approval

Student-Athlete Voluntary Request for Evaluation and Treatment

All student-athletes may request substance abuse evaluation and treatment from the team physician. In the event that such a request for such assistance is made, the team physician will appoint and convene a treatment team to provide assistance to the student-athlete in accordance with this policy. A student will be permitted to remain in the Safe Harbor Program for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 30 days, as determined by the treatment plan.

Safe Harbor Program

A student-athlete who

1. voluntarily requests substance abuse evaluation and treatment
2. has not been informed that he or she will be drug-tested

   and

3. has not received more than one positive drug test

will be provided with a period of 30 days from the communication of a substance abuse treatment plan to the student-athlete (the “Safe Harbor period”) during which the student-athlete will not be included in the list of students eligible for random drug testing by ICA Sports Medicine and during which a positive drug test will not result in any sanction pursuant to this policy, unless the student-athlete fails to comply with the treatment plan or the student-athlete tests positive in a subsequent test.

If a student tests positive for any banned substance after entering the Safe Harbor Program or fails to comply with the Safe Harbor Program treatment plan, the student will be removed from the Safe Harbor Program, an initial Safe Harbor positive test will be treated as a Level One Sanction, and a subsequent positive as a Level Two Sanction. Notwithstanding any statements in this policy, student-athletes in the Safe Harbor Program may be selected for drug testing by NCAA or other organizations and remain subject to all applicable NCAA sanctions and requirements.

Mandatory Student-Athlete Treatment for Substance Abuse

In the event that a student-athlete has a positive drug test:

1. the senior associate athletic director or his/her designee will appoint and convene a treatment team, which will prepare a treatment plan for that student-athlete
2. the student-athletes will be subject to the sanctions identified in ICA 405A

   and

3. the student athlete will comply in all respects with the treatment plan or be subject to additional consequences that may be imposed by the vice president of University Athletics.

Knowledge of Banned Drugs

Any ASU ICA personnel who have knowledge of a student-athlete’s use at any time of a substance on the list of NCAA banned drugs (see ICA 405D) will promptly report such information to the vice president for University Athletics so that institutional procedures dealing with substance abuse may be implemented. Failure to promptly report such information to the vice president for Student Athletics will be subject to disciplinary or corrective action. (NCAA Bylaw 10.2)

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Drug Testing

Frequency of Drug Testing

Drug testing may occur throughout the calendar year, including during the summer. For testing administered by or on behalf of ASU, ICA Personnel will notify students and head coaches of scheduled drug testing dates and times.

Random Drug Tests

Student athletes are subject to random drug testing. ICA may also test students based upon “just cause” or reasonable suspicion that drug testing may produce evidence of drug use (see ICA 405C).

Drug Testing Procedures

ICA will establish written procedures for drug tests to be administered to student-athletes including signing drug test consent forms in accordance with NCAA policy (see ICA 405F).

Positive Drug Test

For purposes of this policy, the term “positive drug test” will mean a test showing the presence of a drug identified in ICA 405D, where the drug test was administered by or on behalf of ASU, by or on behalf of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), or by any organization in connection with any university-sanctioned or supported event at which the student is representing ASU and the test reflects the presence of a banned substance at a level banned by the NCAA.

Drug Test Results

The treatment team, the vice president for University Athletics, the head athletic trainer, the student’s head coach, the team physician, and the student’s parent or guardian will be informed of:

1. a positive drug test

   and

2. the establishment of a Substance Abuse Treatment Plan for a student-athlete.

The certified athletic trainer assigned to that sport may also be notified, if medically appropriate. The assistant coach(es) may also be informed at the discretion of the head coach. Other university employees may be informed only to the extent necessary for the implementation of this policy.

Opportunity for Removal of a Positive Test

After the first positive test, if a student-athlete passes all testing for the subsequent year (12 calendar months) and follows all mandated treatment, the first test will be removed from his or her record. (See ICA 405E for information about the appeals process.)

Exhibits

Some manual exhibits are available only in PDF format. An Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in is required to view these PDF files. See our main policies and procedures page if you require this plug-in.

ICA 405A, Consequences of Positive Tests

ICA 405B, Drug Testing Procedures

ICA 405C, Reasonable Suspicion

ICA 405D, NCAA Banned Drugs

ICA 405E, Appeals Process

ICA 405F, Drug Testing/Screening Policy Consent

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