No club would be free from it. But just because it is out there, doesn't mean they have to take anything. It is no excuse, if that is the justification any player tries to use.

They would have been educated about the negative impacts of drugs as part of the Health curriculum in schools before they even entered the AFL system. There is no excuse.

Had they been caught or tested positive in the wider public, depending on the situation, they would have been fired from their jobs or charged.

I'm not advocating they be fired, never to play pro footy again. Rather, I think there should be some sort of suspension after the first positive test, be it for performance-enhancing or illicit drug use.

Players make their livings from the game and I would think most enjoy the reputation it affords them. If they knew they stood to lose money and reputation, it might just force at least some to think twice.

 

 

The research was actually a survey, not a hair sample program.

The players are asked a few simple questions, like "Would you like some drugs?"

The Collingwood players thought it was a genuine offer.

 

Anyone else able to post todays trenner's interview on the MFC website, I'm having trouble? He gets asked what he would say if he saw any players at mfc taking illicit drugs & I loved his answer, must watch to see the reaction..... I love JT, so  happy he's still with us!!

Recreation Drug use in the AFL has been around for decades, it's not like this issue has popped up all of a sudden. What do you expect when you give 20 year old males $200,000+ a year? If you want to see an industrie plagued with drug use go to a mining camp.

New subject please!? 

1 minute ago, ILLDieADemon said:

Recreation Drug use in the AFL has been around for decades, it's not like this issue has popped up all of a sudden. What do you expect when you give 20 year old males $200,000+ a year? 

New subject please!? 

Your right, but doesn't mean its not a topic or the issue potentially getting worse as it is in society at large..... there's plenty of other threads for you to read if its boring or hitting a cord with you

Well according to the AFLPA the report is wrong. Seriously they can go  on about giving lectures and more teaching but the players just do not listen. I guess it will be to late for a player who dabs in substances and may die as a result. 

4 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

The Strike Policy is a complete joke

The AFL refuse to realize the drug culture young people live by

It started in the 90's and has continued to grow

like it or not....

Haven't heard of Woodstock mate?

 

5 hours ago, Robbie57 said:

AFL drugs policy was always designed to hide the problem.

Always should be one strike/one week. That would stamp it out quick smart.

There is no doubt (like the rest of the community) drugs are a major problem. If the AFL wanted to show some leadership on a healthy lifestyle the policy would have changed long ago. In my opinion it a small microcosym of the control and command style at the AFL which worked so well for them with Essendon. Probably largely a problem of being the biggest fish in town. You sometimes see the same dynamic with other large organisations that dominate their space. When you have pretty much absolute power you lose perspective. 

The AFL is not helping the players solve any problem they have they are just helping them hide it. It seems to me totally misguided. Time for a moratorium (to give players time to sort themselves out) and then introduce a no tolerance policy. 

As much as I dislike Collingwood they are not on their pat here and its unfair to single them out when its known other clubs have the problem.

It's always fair to single out Collingwood for all transgressions of all types. They're responsible for everything bad in the world including global warming.

5 minutes ago, stuie said:

Haven't heard of Woodstock mate?

 

Ecky's and House Music came long after Woodstock...

 

1 hour ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Ecky's and House Music came long after Woodstock...

 

In 1880 the Chinese emperor issued an imperial edict:

Opium has a harm. Opium is a poison, undermining our good customs and morality. Its use is prohibited by law. Now the commoner, Yang, dares to bring it into the Forbidden City. Indeed, he flouts the law! However, recently the purchasers, eaters, and consumers of opium have become numerous. Deceitful merchants buy and sell it to gain profit. The customs house at the Ch'ung-wen Gate was originally set up to supervise the collection of imports (it had no responsibility with regard to opium smuggling). If we confine our search for opium to the seaports, we fear the search will not be sufficiently thorough. We should also order the general commandant of the police and police- censors at the five gates to prohibit opium and to search for it at all gates. If they capture any violators, they should immediately punish them and should destroy the opium at once. As to Kwangtung [Guangdong] and Fukien [Fujian], the provinces from which opium comes, we order their viceroys, governors, and superintendents of the maritime customs to conduct a thorough search for opium, and cut off its supply. They should in no ways consider this order a dead letter and allow opium to be smuggled out!^[17]

 

5 minutes ago, Diamond said:

In 1880 the Chinese emperor issued an imperial edict:

Opium has a harm. Opium is a poison, undermining our good customs and morality. Its use is prohibited by law. Now the commoner, Yang, dares to bring it into the Forbidden City. Indeed, he flouts the law! However, recently the purchasers, eaters, and consumers of opium have become numerous. Deceitful merchants buy and sell it to gain profit. The customs house at the Ch'ung-wen Gate was originally set up to supervise the collection of imports (it had no responsibility with regard to opium smuggling). If we confine our search for opium to the seaports, we fear the search will not be sufficiently thorough. We should also order the general commandant of the police and police- censors at the five gates to prohibit opium and to search for it at all gates. If they capture any violators, they should immediately punish them and should destroy the opium at once. As to Kwangtung [Guangdong] and Fukien [Fujian], the provinces from which opium comes, we order their viceroys, governors, and superintendents of the maritime customs to conduct a thorough search for opium, and cut off its supply. They should in no ways consider this order a dead letter and allow opium to be smuggled out!^[17]

 

Correct but as Opiates tend to slow down the body I doubt many Aussie Rules Players will choose them as a drug of choice. 

A Disco biscuit  or a line of Blow and some house at 120 bpm would seem far appropriate. 

That is what began in the 90's...

2 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Ecky's and House Music came long after Woodstock...

 

There was Capper in the 80's,come to think of it all drafted players should be shown a video of Capper's off field highlights,that would scare them off drugs for the rest of their lives.

This quote is from the Casey Practice Match Thread, but applies beautifully here:

4 hours ago, Redlegs Too said:

Loved JT's presser and admired the strength of his statement when asked about what he would do if he saw a Melbourne player using drugs.

His reply "That's not gonna happen, not at this club."  Strong words that would lead you to believe that the club culture is very strong too.

 

4 hours ago, stuie said:

Haven't heard of Woodstock mate?

 

Flower power

2 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Correct but as Opiates tend to slow down the body I doubt many Aussie Rules Players will choose them as a drug of choice. 

A Disco biscuit  or a line of Blow and some house at 120 bpm would seem far appropriate. 

That is what began in the 90's...

I had an operation on my back and was prescribed OxyContin 240 mg a day the highest does possible for anyone world wide I was on that does for 7 months , the withdrawal from it was absolutely horrific I had tie belts around my legs to stop the restless leg syndrome I was sick for nearly 3 weeks and s bit depressed for 3 months, anyone that takes opiates is dancing with the devil there snorting coke who wouldn't in your 20s getting laid in any nightclub on big bucks half there luck.

1 minute ago, Middymalt said:

I had an operation on my back and was prescribed OxyContin 240 mg a day the highest does possible for anyone world wide I was on that does for 7 months , the withdrawal from it was absolutely horrific I had tie belts around my legs to stop the restless leg syndrome I was sick for nearly 3 weeks and s bit depressed for 3 months, anyone that takes opiates is dancing with the devil there snorting coke who wouldn't in your 20s getting laid in any nightclub on big bucks half there luck.

Opiates are the Dragon...

22 minutes ago, Middymalt said:

I had an operation on my back and was prescribed OxyContin 240 mg a day the highest does possible for anyone world wide I was on that does for 7 months , the withdrawal from it was absolutely horrific I had tie belts around my legs to stop the restless leg syndrome I was sick for nearly 3 weeks and s bit depressed for 3 months, anyone that takes opiates is dancing with the devil there snorting coke who wouldn't in your 20s getting laid in any nightclub on big bucks half there luck.

Their not there. Go back to school.

Anzac day will be classy.

Take it off these 2 teams. Give it to freo and gws, but dont keep rewarding these clubs!

Why the hell do we care? This testing was done in the offseason and in players' private time. It's just none of anyone's business what they do provided they are not taking anything performance enhancing.

I'd venture a guess that if you randomly drug tested any batch of 25 year old Australian men, around a quarter of them will test positive to illicit drugs.

it's an issue for society at large. Total non-issue for the football world.

3 minutes ago, Undeeterred said:

 

it's an issue for society at large. 

And that is precisely why it is an issue for the footy world. Get caught using drugs in society at large and you face a variety of consequences. Should be the same in the footy world.

11 minutes ago, Maple Demon said:

And that is precisely why it is an issue for the footy world. Get caught using drugs in society at large and you face a variety of consequences. Should be the same in the footy world.

Not really. Users are not targeted for consequences in reality. 

2 minutes ago, Undeeterred said:

Not really. Users are not targeted for consequences in reality. 

A variety of consequences could be anything from an intervention, to rehab, to fines/charges. See Ben Cousins.

9 minutes ago, Maple Demon said:

A variety of consequences could be anything from an intervention, to rehab, to fines/charges. See Ben Cousins.

Yeah, ok, fair point. I thought you were more heading down the fines/charges route (which basically doesn't happen). Ben Cousins was charged with other stuff like avoiding breath tests etc, not using per se.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/give-us-a-chance-on-footballs-drug-problem-says-afl-players-association-ceo-paul-marsh-20160324-gnqwwo.html#ixzz43xPyxGdZ

I found this comment by AFLPA's Paul Marsh quite staggering: "It's predictable that some people are going to be taking a stab at how many players may be testing positive. "It's not the main issue - the main issue is we're looking to effect long-term behavioural change within the playing group. "This new policy was agreed too late last year, it hasn't even taken affect yet. Give it a chance".

No Mr Marsh, the issue is not a bunch of words written in a policy.  The issue is what is happening to the lives of young men at AFL clubs.  AFLPA should be investigating possible links between player drug use and the increasing reports of anxiety and depression of players.  That is the current and long term issue.  Developing strategies on how to help them is the current and long term issue.  The issue is not the 'toothless tiger' new policy and wait and see what happens. This is head-in-the-sand stuff.

 I find it interesting  that Eddie easily takes the stance of "I Know Nothing", its in the AFL's  court Blah Blah Blah. Does he he not talk to his CEO who recently spoke out about the massive problem of illict drugs in footy recently. Was that really about his club? Coincidence??? Crystal balling ?? Does Eddie really  know what is happening at his club or not? I wonder.