Look for this to affect the league because this will cause suspension of many players. Ephedra is everywhere.
From the usatoday:
Players face new drug test
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL will start testing players for the stimulant ephedrine on July 1, making it the first U.S. pro league to ban a substance often found in strength-building food supplements.
The ban on ephedrine, which and can cause seizures, strokes or death, and related stimulants became part of the league's anti-steroid policy — subjecting players to year-round random testing — in September.
At the time, commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the testing wouldn't begin until after further consultations with the NFL Players Association, which had approved the ban but not the timing.
Now the testing program, reported on by the New York Times on Friday, has been agreed to by union executive director Gene Upshaw and NFL executive vice president Harold Henderson.
Players testing positive for ephedrine will be subject to a four-game suspension.
"We're in the process of beginning to notify the players," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Friday. "There will be postings in every locker room saying ephedrine testing begins July 1."
That memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, reads in part: "As you recall, last season the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to ban the use of certain stimulants including ephedrine. Products containing these stimulants are often promoted for weight loss or increased energy; however, there is growing evidence linking these products to several life-threatening conditions such as strokes, seizures, thermo-regulatory disorders and heart arrhythmias."
Ephedrine's herbal form, ephedra, is an ingredient in about 200 supplements used for weight loss, building muscle or boosting energy.
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