Anti-Doping Legislation Introduced
Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney on Friday [Feb. 11] introduced the Anti-Doping in Sport Act 2011 — new legislation which will brings Bermuda in line with international standards and ensures Bermuda’s athletes perform based on ability, not the use of harmful and illegal drugs.
Last month when the the Bermuda Council for Drug-free Sport announced it had changed its name to the Bermuda Sport Anti Doping Authority, the supervisory body said Government was “diligently working towards” new legislation aimed at stamping out the use of performance enhancing drugs among Bermudian athletes.
The new legislation won the support of the United Bermuda Party and the Bermuda Democratic Alliance in Parliament.
Minister Blakeney’s remarks in the House of Assembly appear below:
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the Anti-Doping in Sport Act 2011 is to give effect to the International Convention against Doping in Sport 2005 in Bermuda, and to establish the Bermuda Council for Drug-Free Sports as the National Sport Anti-Doping Agency for Bermuda, to be known as the Bermuda Sport Anti-Doping Authority (the acronym Is BSADA for short).
Mr. Speaker, this means that BSADA will have responsibility for ensuring that Bermuda is fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and will have the primary authority to adopt and implement the World Anti-Doping Agency (the acronym is WADA for short) Anti-Doping Rules including: (i) directing the collection and testing of samples from athletes (ii) managing test results and (iii) arranging for conduct of hearings at the national level.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to point out that testing of athletes will occur both in Bermuda and internationally. Where we have adequate facilities to perform reliable testing locally, this will be done. However, we already know that for some substances that are listed in the World Anti-Doping Code, we will have to send test samples overseas to WADA accredited laboratories for analysis; this is unavoidable…
Mr. Speaker, I am sure that all of my parliamentary colleagues will agree with me that this legislation is an important and critical step along the path towards drug-free sports in Bermuda.
Can we not have anti-drug legislation for all govt MP’s and Senators to “ensure Bermuda’s politicians perform based on ability, not the use of harmful and illegal drugs”…? Am I being out-of-line here?
Excellent! This is a good start.
Now, if we expect our youth to perform their sports without drugs, shouldn’t we also expect certain members of the workforce be drug-free as well?? Let’s start with our politicians, OUR BUS DRIVERS, our taxi drivers. Am I being out of line by asking for proof that the guy driving my children (and yours) to school every morning is drug-free? Or the taxi driver taking my grandmother to the doctor…or the political party running our country? Seriously, am I asking too much to expect the same rules that apply to our youth to also apply to others?
Answer me, please! I want to know.
Until such time that the law makers make themselves available to drug testing,then the rest of Bermuda who are subjugated to them, should tell them to lead by example.
Are we fogetting ferry pilots or do they only need the breathalyzer?
I didn’t know ferry pilots got breathalyzers, when did this start?
Ok, so do we still want to legalize weed? Thats why we cant get a football team together to play international games cause many guys cant pass a drugs test.
Or firemen , or bus drivers , or Policemen ,or customs officers, or … or …
I have a feeling that if being hired in Bermuda hinged on passing a drug test we’d have the highest unemployment rate in the world.
And don’t even talk about our current gov’t who seem to be petrified of getting tested.
If they can’t pass the test now, what baring does it being legal or illegal have to do with them passing a test? Not following.
my guess is at least 40% of the population in Bermuda smoke Marijuana…From the bottom right on up
Source?
Speak for yourself. I think your numbers are way off.
Define “current gov’t”……..
Lets see… we have polititians, who refuse to be drug tested wanting others to be drug tested. Am I missing something here? How can these polititians be tkaen seriously when all too often they have members of their own families either in prison of being held awaiting trial on drugs charges or crimes of a much more serious nature?
Credibility! Whats that?
Let’s end the hyprocrisy of current legislation. The law makers refuse to be tested so let’s start there. Of course it won’t happen. Why is it anyone who applies for certain jobs, or as an athlete, has to be tested according to a law that most of the legislators refuse to comply with? If they fail which proves they have used a controlled (oxymoron) substance, they are refused employment, or in the case of an athlete barred from competition, but no criminal conviction. However anyone walking/driving along minding their own business and heaven forbid has a miniscule amount of cannabis on their person is dragged before the courts and given a criminal record for life – even if they were tested negative! No wonder there is a problem with society – the lawmakers make sure there is. Why not take the same “blind eye” approach to small amounts of cannabis in possession as is taken for speeding, or parking tickets for members of Cabinet? Is there a law that allows one to drive at 50 kph without penalty even though the legal limit is 35? No. Is there a law that says Cabinet members may park illegally without penalty? No. No doubt more examples, yet mere possession, not even a positive test of a contolled substance, means people are criminals for life. Bermuda is sick. Legalisation is not needed, just a blind eye for small amounts as is shown by islands to the South and modern countries and societies who see the stupity and negative impact of the ridulous harshness for mere possession. Yet Bermuda continues to enslaven its own and contributes to the “black male” problem?
How about anti dope legislation?
If the Government passed anti-dopey legislation Parliament would need to be immediately dissolved
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The government works for the people and should be held to the same standards as the working class. Thats the bottom line but we all know this will never happen.