News Release
February 28, 2005

North Texas Steroid Summit

On February 28, 2005, Plano, Texas, was the site of the North Texas Steroid Summit where over 400 high school athletic directors and coaches attended from districts throughout North Texas.

The program was sponsored by the DEA Dallas Field Division and the State of Texas Region 10 Education Service Center. The Service Center, based in Dallas, trains teachers throughout the 28 county region and has had a successful partnership with DEA, conducting numerous events. Much of the success of the day was attributed to the support of the State of Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL), which is the governing body for athletic programs in the state. Both, the UIL athletic director and executive director attended the full day of training and spoke to the coaches on current state issues regarding steroids and performance enhancing drugs.

The one-day conference trained the attendees on signs and symptoms of adolescent steroid abuse and the abuse of performance enhancing drugs. The presenters were powerful, energetic, informative and extremely knowledgeable about the subject. All speakers had a different presentation but the underlying theme reinforced the health dangers of using steroids and performance enhancing drugs. Some of the experts were:

1. Dr. Linn Goldberg: Professor of Medicine, Head of the Division of Health Promotion and Sports Medicine at Oregon Health Services University. He is an Expert Panelist for the U.S. Department of Education, a Crew Chief for the U. S. Olympic Committee and a delegate to the World Health Organization.

2. Dr. Alan Green: Clinical Professor at the U.C.L.A. School of Medicine in the Division of Sports Medicine. Dr. Green is the consultant to Major League Baseball on Anabolic Steroids and Performance-enhancing drugs.

3. Dr. Charles Breithaupt: Athletic Director, State of Texas, University Interscholastic League.

4. Special Agent Douglas Coleman: Staff Coordinator, Dangerous Drugs and Chemical Section, DEA Headquarters, Washington D.C.

The Summit was a new initiative for North Texas and addressed the current steroid problem in the athletic community. Subsequent to the Summit, several school districts have announced steroid testing for their athletes and the State of Texas is considering mandatory drug testing of all athletes for steroid use.

Several other DEA offices have indicated that they are planning to host the same kind of training in their area. Additionally, numerous schools have asked for subsequent training regarding steroids.

The media supported the training with reporters from local print and television affiliates. An investigative reporter from the New York Times attended and DEA has had a follow-up request from MTV to do a “True Life” segment.

This Summit was judged as a major success by the participants. A DEA Dallas student aid, himself a student/athlete at local University, was recognized for developing the summit concept and his contribution in planning the event. Dallas Field Division Demand Reduction Coordinator Michelle Deaver and eight other Special Agents and Diversion Investigators were recognized for their active participation and support.