STEROID TESTING

It's time to end steroid testing in high school athletes.

The state of Texas knew years ago that its program to test high school sports participants was not a fruitful use of resources. The program was well-intended, but its execution was ineffective.

In it's first year, then Sen. Dan Patrick called the program "a colossal waste of taxpayer money." He was right.

Since the program began in 2008, the state has spent $10 million to catch only a handful of students, after testing more than 63,000. Despite the hefty price tag, critics point out that the Texas plan made mistakes early on, failed to test for many common kinds of drugs and was too easy for cheaters to exploit.

Others argue that the testing results prove that steroid use among teens is not a widespread problem. Indeed, it is far less common than other kinds of drug and alcohol abuse that pose far greater risks to a larger universe of teenagers.

$10 million would go a long way toward adding classrooms to our crowded schools, repairing roofs and updating bathrooms and cafeterias. 

It's time for the Legislation to put those state dollars to better use.