Bill Text: NJ AR136 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges AG to add anabolic steroids and certain other designer drugs to list for which police officers are randomly tested for illegal drug use.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-01-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee [AR136 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-AR136-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex)
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Urges AG to add anabolic steroids and certain other designer drugs to list for which police officers are randomly tested for illegal drug use.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the Attorney General to add anabolic steroids and certain other designer drugs to the list of controlled substances for which police officers are randomly tested for illegal drug use.
Whereas, A recent Star-Ledger investigation revealed the systemic abuse of anabolic steroids, including testosterone, and human growth hormone by hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters throughout the State; and
Whereas, In one case, at least 248 officers and firefighters reportedly obtained prescriptions for these drugs from a single Jersey City doctor; and
Whereas, Reportedly, in many instances, these officers and firefighters used their government benefits to pay for these drugs, costing this State's taxpayers millions of dollars; and
Whereas, In addition to the health issues associated with the misuse of these drugs and the cost to taxpayers, law enforcement officers abusing steroids are susceptible to bouts of increased aggression, referred to as "roid rage," thereby posing a threat to the public safety; and
Whereas, Recognizing the importance to public safety of deterring the illegal use of drugs by law enforcement officers, the "Law Enforcement Drug Testing Manual," as issued by the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety, outlines the rules and procedures governing the implementation of drug testing of these officers; and
Whereas, This policy governs four types of drug testing: law enforcement officer applicant drug testing; law enforcement officer trainee drug testing; drug testing when there is reasonable suspicion of illegal drug use by applicants, trainees or officers; and random drug testing of sworn law enforcement officers; and
Whereas, Under the policy, urine specimens taken from officers for drug testing purposes are automatically screened for the following controlled dangerous substances: amphetamine and methamphetamine; barbiturates; benzodiazepine; cannabinoids (marijuana); cocaine; methadone; opiates (heroin); and phencyclidine; and
Whereas, Also under the policy, urine specimens also may be screened for anabolic steroid abuse and abuse of other "designer," "rave," and "club" drugs, including special K, but the law enforcement agency submitting the specimen must specifically request this additional testing; the policy states that ordinarily, testing for these drugs is done for reasonable suspicion testing; reportedly, this type of testing is rarely requested by law enforcement agencies; and
Whereas, One of the charges of a task force established by the Attorney General in response to the Star-Ledger investigation of steroid abuse by law enforcement is to explore the viability of random drug testing for anabolic steroids; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the Attorney General to add anabolic steroids, as well as methylenedioxymethamphetamine ("Ecstasy"), gamma-hydroxybutyrate ("GHB" or "Liquid Ecstasy"), ketamine ("Special K"), rohypnol (Roofies), and lysergic acide diethylamide ("LSD"), to the list of those drugs for which urine specimens of police officers are randomly tested to determine illegal drug use.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the Governor and the Attorney General.
STATEMENT
This Assembly Resolution urges the Attorney General to add anabolic steroids, as well as other designer drugs, to the list of drugs for which law enforcement officers are currently randomly tested to determine if they are illegally using these drugs.
A recent Star-Ledger investigation revealed the systemic abuse of anabolic steroids, such as testosterone, by hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters throughout the State who obtained these drugs through their prescription drug programs. In addition to costing the taxpayers of this State millions of dollars, law enforcement officers susceptible to "roid rage" pose a grave danger to the public safety.
Under the Attorney General's Law Enforcement Drug Testing Manual, in addition to a list of drugs which urine specimens are automatically tested, law enforcement agencies may request testing for anabolic steroids and several designer drugs, but this testing is rarely requested. This resolution urges that random drug testing of law enforcement officers automatically include screening for anabolic steroids and certain other designer drugs.
