AFL announces new illicit drugs policy

[bornadog]

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AFL PLAYERS will be named publicly, fined and suspended for four matches if they record a second strike by testing positive to illicit drugs under the League's new illicit drugs policy.


Under the new policy - which AFL football operations boss Mark Evans on Wednesday branded as tougher - players will receive a $5000 suspended fine for their first strike but will remain anonymous while receiving counselling and target testing.


Their name will be made public on the second strike, as they serve a four-match suspension.


A third strike will incur a 12-match suspension.


However, to achieve a transition from the existing policy to the new one, players already on strikes will be granted some leeway if they incur a strike under the new policy.


Players who have not incurred a strike for two years or longer will have a clean slate under the new policy.


A player who is already on one strike incurred in the past two years will receive a penalty equivalent to one strike under the new policy if they record another strike.


A player already on two strikes will be named publicly and receive a four-match suspension and the fine if they return a positive detection.


Evans said the AFL and the AFL Players Association would continue to work together on the illicit drugs policy to ensure it kept pace with what was occurring.


"Drug use in society, and that includes AFL footballers, is an incredibly complex issue. There is no silver bullet that just makes this go away," Evans said.


"Even though drug use in the playing group is below levels that exist in the broader community of the same demographic, we also believe the privilege of playing AFL football comes with the responsibility to the clubs and the game."

[GVGjr]

Kevin Bartlett will have a field day with this tomorrow.

[Remi Moses]

Love to know the ivory tower that Kevin Bartlett and Grant Thomas live in.
Thomas wants a life ban on the first strike.
Just absolute nonsense, as people make mistakes and Thomas has made plenty

[Twodogs]

Kevin Bartlett will have a field day with this tomorrow.

Heard Bartlett and his one strike nonsense today. Under his policy if I didn't want Kevin Bartlett playing in the Grand Final all I have to do is find a way to get him to ingest some coke or even codeine and then wait for him to test positive.

I don't know why he has this mania to name names and find out who is taking illicit drugs. Inform the club, sure, it has a stake. But the rest of us don't need to know.

[GVGjr]

Heard Bartlett and his one strike nonsense today. Under his policy if I didn't want Kevin Bartlett playing in the Grand Final all I have to do is find a way to get him to ingest some coke or even codeine and then wait for him to test positive.

I don't know why he has this mania to name names and find out who is taking illicit drugs. Inform the club, sure, it has a stake. But the rest of us don't need to know.

He's actually saying that players shouldn't be silly enough to consume a couple of red wines during the season when there is a club imposed ban because the penalties some clubs apply are stronger than what the AFL apply for players taking illicit drugs.
Someone having a drink when there is a club imposed ban can't expect leniency if they were to self report either.

[Ghost Dog]

I love watching the wealthy and the powerful, who live in a world I can never dream to reach, fall low. It makes my hum-drum existence a little more entertaining.

[Twodogs]

I love watching the wealthy and the powerful, who live in a world I can never dream to reach, fall low. It makes my hum-drum existence a little more entertaining.

That's one reason I guess. Is that the main reason though? So some of us can raise our eye brows and others can feel a bit better about ourselves.

[jeemak]

Public whippings is the only way people think issues they don't understand can be dealt with.

[Ghost Dog]

That's one reason I guess. Is that the main reason though? So some of us can raise our eye brows and others can feel a bit better about ourselves.

Was probably released by St Kilda supporters to try and negate his trade value!