Hmm. Throwball fans care to comment?
Prescription drugs 'widespread'
Danny Weidler
August 14, 2011 .
IN A week dominated by players - three Roosters and a Panther - being reprimanded for drinking when they shouldn't have been, Rabbitohs chief executive Shane Richardson believes prescription drugs, not alcohol, are the main problem facing players and officials.
''The biggest problem in the game is not players drinking or players taking cocaine or other so-called party drugs,'' he said. ''The way I see it, the game has an issue with players taking prescription medication and it is a significant problem. When I first started hearing about players doing this kind of thing about 18 months ago, I was sceptical and thought it was not a big deal, but having talked to a lot of people in the game I can tell you it is widespread and it's a bigger issue than any other substance abuse.''
Stories of players combining a variety of strong sleeping tablets with alcohol or energy drinks are widespread.
The allegation that Panther Arana Taumata stole the club doctor's prescription pad and falsified details is an extreme example of players' demand if proven in court proceedings.
Players have told about the effect the drugs have on them.
"The hardest thing is detecting these drugs because they don't show up in tests and that's an issue for every official in the game," Richardson said. "I'm not sure how we are going to get on top of this."
The NRL's chief medical officer says the league is doing all it can despite the South Sydney chief executive's claim that prescription drug use is ''widespread'' among players.
Dr Ron Muratore acknowledged the concerns but said they were ''a little exaggerated''.
The development comes as The Sun-Herald learned that one of the game's stars, a Sydney-based playmaker, has been misusing Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug that can be used for sleep disorders. It is available only on prescription. Told that a star player was misusing Xanax, Muratore replied: ''That's one of the things people have used to help them sleep in the past. It's also an anti-anxiety medication and it also has legitimate use for people who have frequent panic attacks.
''To make a blanket rule to say you can't use these things - you can't do that. There are specific clinical indications for use for these substances.''
Muratore said alcohol remained a greater challenge for the majority of players.
- with Adrian Proszenko
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... z1UzwK7m7n
