UFC
California State Athletic Commission supports Nevada's decision to ban testosterone replacement therapy
Mar 6, 2014 - 1:40:57 PM California State Athletic Commission supports Nevada's decision to ban testosterone replacement therapy

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The California State Athletic Commission has released a statement on Thursday with their stance on testosterone replacement therapy in the wake of Nevada's ban. California, for now at least, will be adopting the ban, though they'll be eventually moving to a set of rules following WADA's standards for exemptions.

"The California State Athletic Commission fully supports the Nevada State Athletic Commission's decision to eliminate Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) for Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) in boxing and mixed martial arts," the statement read (via The DCA Page). "California is a strong supporter of anti-doping efforts. As part of California's anti-doping efforts, the Commission recently began the rulemaking process to require meeting World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards as the only way to obtain a TUE for TRT. This standard is so high that it is an effective ban except under the most extreme circumstances. Until the rulemaking process is complete and the regulations are fully adopted, the Commission has a total ban on TRT. California remains committed to protecting the health and safety of athletes and having strict anti-doping standards is one of the ways this is accomplished."

Penick's Analysis: The problem with the exemptions in the first place was that the criteria for being granted an exemption was very low compared to other sports. Had WADA protocols been followed from the start, a number of fighters who were granted exemptions wouldn't have been in the first place, and there wouldn't have been as big of an issue as things ultimately became. Ultimately, banning or not banning TRT isn't the biggest issue, as commissions will still need to start implementing random drug testing before anything actually changes.