After a nearly three-and-half month absence, Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association resumed drug testing on Friday.
From 2004 to December 1, 2004, testing with penalties was in place. The lockout by management caused it to be halted on the next day.
As part of Thursday’s memorandum, opioids and opiates were added to the Joint Drug Program as drugs of abuse. Unannounced mandatory urine testing will not be performed in conjunction with physicals but at random times during spring training.
Human Growth Hormone blood testing will be done by dry blood spots, not blood draws. However, outside experts can agree to draw blood if there is reasonable cause.
As long as the medical records are correct, team physicians can write short-term pain medication prescriptions.
Following a positive test, follow-up testing will be conducted for 12 months beginning with the notification of discipline and ending with the collection of the sample. The sides also agreed to a joint investigation whether contaminated meat products in the Dominican Republic could cause positive tests for the performance-enhancing substances Boldenone and Nandrolone.
