GVSU Intercollegiate Athletics Drug & Alcohol Policy

The NCAA bans the following classes of drugs:

1. Stimulants
2. Anabolic agents
3. Alcohol and beta blockers (banned for rifle only)
4. Diuretics and masking agents
5. Narcotics
6. Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics
7. Hormone and metabolic medulators
8. Beta-2 agonists

Note:  Any substance chemically related to these classes is also banned.

The institution and the student-athlete shall be held accountable for all drugs within the banned drug class regardless of whether they have been specifically identified.

Drugs and Procedures Subject to Restrictions:

1. Blood doping
2. Gene doping
3. Local anesthetics (permitted under some conditions)
4. Manipulation or tampering of urine samples
5. Beta-2 agonists (permitted only by inhalation with prescription)

NCAA Nutritional/Dietary Supplements WARNING:

Before consuming any nutritional/dietary supplement product, review the product with the appropriate or designated athletics department staff!

Dietary supplements, including vitamins and minerals, are not well regulated and may cause a positive drug test result.

1. Student-athletes have tested positive and lost their eligibility using dietary supplements.
2. Many dietary supplements are contaminated with banned drugs not listed on the label.
3. Any product containing a dietary supplement ingredient is taken at your own risk.

Check with the Athletics staff prior to using a supplement.

The NCAA drug-testing program, along with clear policies and effective education, protects student-athletes who play by the rules by playing clean. The purpose of the drug-testing program is to deter student-athletes from using performance-enhancing drugs, and it impacts the eligibility of student-athletes who try to cheat by using banned substances. The NCAA tests for steroids, peptide hormones and masking agents year-round and also tests for stimulants and recreational drugs during championships. Member schools also may test for these substances as part of their athletics department drug-deterrence programs.

To learn more about specific medications or supplements that may be banned substances, visit Drug Free Sport AXIS, (member login required) which provides up-to-date research on supplements and over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

The NCAA list of banned drug classes (NCAA Division I Bylaw 18.4.1.4.6 and NCAA Division II and III Bylaw 31.2.3.1) is composed of substances that are generally purported to be performance enhancing and/or potentially harmful to the health and safety of the student-athlete.

The NCAA recognizes that some banned substances are used for legitimate medical purposes. Accordingly, the NCAA allows exception to be made for those student-athletes with a documented medical history demonstrating the need for treatment with certain banned medications. Medical exceptions may be granted for substances in the following banned drug classes: anabolic agents*, stimulants, beta blockers, diuretics and masking agents, hormone and metabolic modulators*, beta-2 agonists, peptide hormones*, growth factors or related substances and mimetics*, and narcotics (see subpart 2 below). Per NCAA Division I Bylaw 18.4.1.4.8 and Division II and III Bylaw 31.2.3.2, a medical exception is not permitted for a substance in the class of cannabinoids.

*Note: The use of an anabolic agent, hormone and metabolic modulator, peptide hormone, growth factors, related substances and mimetics must be approved by the NCAA before the student-athlete is allowed to participate in competition while taking these medications.

Medical Exception Procedures and Considerations:

1. Consider non-banned medications. Alternative non-banned medications for the treatment of various conditions may exist and should be considered before a medical exception is pursued.
   • If the student-athlete and the physician (in coordination with sports-medicine staff at the student-athlete's school) agree that no appropriate alternative medication to the use of the banned substance is available, the decision may be made to use a medication that falls under an NCAA banned drug class.
      
2. When to Request a Medical Exception.
   • For an anabolic agent, hormone and metabolic modulator, peptide hormone, growth factors, related substances and mimetics, a school must request a medical exception before a student-athlete competes while taking these medications.
   • For stimulant medication used to treat ADHD, beta blockers or beta-2 agonists, diuretics and narcotics, a school may request a medical exception following a positive drug-test. See more in No. 6 below.
      
3. Required Documentation. The student-athlete’s school should maintain documentation that supports use of the banned medication in the student-athlete's medical record on campus. The documentation can be a letter or copies of medical notes from the prescribing physician that documents how the diagnosis was reached, and that the student-athlete has a medical history demonstrating the need for treatment with the banned medication. The letter should contain information as to the diagnosis (including appropriate verification of the diagnosis), medical history and dosage information.
    
   • Medical Exception for ADHD. In addition to the required documentation above, the NCAA requires the NCAA Medical Exception Documentation Reporting Form to be submitted with any request for a medical exception for stimulant medication used to treat ADHD
   • When to Send Documentation. A student-athlete's medical records or physicians' letters should not be sent to the NCAA unless requested by the NCAA or when a school is requesting pre-approval for the medical use of an anabolic agent, hormone and metabolic modulator, peptide hormone, growth factors, related substances and mimetics. In addition, the use of any substance should not be reported to the drug-testing collection crew during an NCAA drug test.
      
4. Requesting a Medical Exception after a Positive Test. If a student-athlete is drug tested by the NCAA and tests positive for a substance for which the school desires an exception, normal reporting procedures for positive test results will be followed (See Section 8.0 of the NCAA Drug-Testing Program Protocol). The school may request a medical exception at the time of notification of the positive drug test (“A” sample) by submitting documentation to Drug Free Sport International. If the school fails to provide medical documentation to Drug Free Sport International before the "B" sample is reported as positive to the school, the student-athlete will be withheld from competition until the documentation is received, reviewed and the medical exception granted. (contact [email protected])
    
5. Review of Medical Exceptions. Requests for medical exceptions will be reviewed by the medical panel of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.
    
6. Communicating Decisions. The NCAA will inform the director of athletics or their designee regarding the outcome of the medical exception request. If the medical exception is not granted, the institution may appeal this action according to Section 8.0 of the NCAA Drug-Testing Program Protocol.

If you have questions about medical exception procedures for the NCAA Drug Testing Program, please contact [email protected].