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USA Equestrian announced that it has increased the drug-testing fee by $2, effective December 1, 2001. This is the first increase in the drug-testing fee in over ten years. The Federation s Drugs & Medication Committee recommended and the Board of Directors overwhelmingly adopted the increase in the testing fee at its July 10, 2001 Board meeting. When remitted together with the Federation competition fee, the total fees per entry will be $10, up from $8 a year ago.
This fee increase will enable the Drugs and Medications Program to address the following priorities on a sound financial footing:
1. Increased Testing. The existing laboratory, established in 1995, has increased its sample volume from 6,000 to 8,000 per year. Additional funding will allow the lab to test 9,000 samples in 2002, and will take the current lab to capacity. A study of the projected sample volume, the long-term expansion of the laboratory s capacity, and the associated costs is warranted at this time, in order to expand the scope of the Drugs and Medications Program in the future.
2. Increased Research. Research and development of new and improved technologies to detect drugs that are beyond the reach of existing technologies must be funded and undertaken in order to increase the effectiveness of the Drugs and Medications Program.
3. Split Samples. The Drugs and Medications Committee decided to implement a formal split sample rule, policy and procedure, effective December 1, 2001, which will increase the costs of the Drugs and Medications Program.
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