Drug Testing

Shaun White slumps on a couch inside a cavernous chalet rented by one of his corporate sponsors. The millionaire snowboarder appears weary from a party thrown the previous night by another sponsor. It's Thursday afternoon and beyond the patio, on Aspen's Buttermilk Mountain, the Winter X Games have begun. White, 22, is two days from winning the popular slopestyle competition, and three days from repeating as halfpipe champion.

World junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson has tested positive for synthetic testosterone, jeopardizing his May 19 title defense against England's Amir Khan at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and Richard Schaefer, Peterson's promoter, confirmed Tuesday they've been notified of the positive test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assn. Kizer received a letter Tuesday explaining the result from Peterson's attorney.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's attempt to force drug testing on state workers has been blocked by a federal judge, the latest development in a case seen as a bellwether for similar efforts involving employees and those receiving social service or welfare benefits. On Thursday, Federal District Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled that Scott's executive order violated constitutional guarantees against unreasonable search and seizure because it “does not identify a concrete danger that must be addressed by suspicionless drug testing.”  The Miami-based judge also wrote that the order should be struck down because “the governor shows no evidence of a drug-use problem at the covered agencies.” The decision will be appealed, Scott said in a statement emailed to reporters.

Goalkeeper Josh Saunders will be lost to the Galaxy for an indefinite period after being enrolled in Major League Soccer's substance abuse and behavioral health program. The Galaxy was informed Friday that Saunders would be unavailable to play until he completes a treatment protocol. Team officials insisted Tuesday that Saunders did not fail a league-administered drug test but have been evasive in explaining his absence. Saunders missed Saturday's tie with FC Dallas and is unavailable for Wednesday night's match in Seattle, with Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena saying only that the keeper was missing for "personal reasons.

"Police Union Fights Random Drug Testing" (Metro, Feb. 17) sets forth the purported position of the Los Angeles police union on drug testing of police officers. There are some issues in a democratic society that do not lend themselves to the democratic process of decision by majority vote. The safety of the citizens of Los Angeles is at issue here. The purported opposition to "modification of their four-year contract in the middle of the term" does not directly address the issue of drug testing of police officers.

The well-chronicled argument between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. over drug testing was so heated and divisive it caused the two boxers to walk away from a guarantee of $25 million each. Mayweather's camp implied there was something unnatural about Pacquiao's steady move up in weight in recent years, with an increased dominance in the ring . Pacquiao grew so defensive about the comments that he sued members of the Mayweather camp for defamation. Now, less than two weeks before Pacquiao fights Joshua Clottey in a welterweight title bout March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has ruled there is no "good cause" to institute any prefight drug screening for either boxer before their bout.

Federal air safety regulators have proposed fining United Airlines $584,375 for allegedly failing to properly perform drug tests on workers in safety-sensitive areas. The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday accused the airline of transferring 13 employees to safety-sensitive positions before it received the results of their drug and alcohol tests. The violations took place throughout the airline and included workers on the flight crew, maintenance and service teams, FAA spokesman Paul Turk said.

Bless Dershowitz for his courage and poise in negotiating the border between liberty and safety in drug testing. The specter of inevitability doesn't have to spook people willing to think. Maybe such awareness can help us navigate through such shadowy realms as euthanasia and abortion. AMY ADELSTEIN Canoga Park

Chief Gates makes an eloquent distinction between the violation of civil rights versus the safety of the public, in the issue of random mandatory drug testing for law-enforcement officers. Gates deserves the gratitude of the public he seeks to protect in this issue. Even as he praises his officers for the loyal execution of their duties, he seeks to maintain the respect of the public by this weeding of the ranks for officers who abuse their extraordinary powers vested in their calling.

A voluntary drug testing program, the first in baseball, was announced today by the Baltimore Orioles. The pilot program will remain in effect for one year, unless superseded by any agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Assn. The Orioles reportedly did not vote on the matter, but each player agreed individually to go along.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's attempt to force drug testing on state workers has been blocked by a federal judge, the latest development in a case seen as a bellwether for similar efforts involving employees and those receiving social service or welfare benefits. On Thursday, Federal District Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled that Scott's executive order violated constitutional guarantees against unreasonable search and seizure because it “does not identify a concrete danger that must be addressed by suspicionless drug testing.”  The Miami-based judge also wrote that the order should be struck down because “the governor shows no evidence of a drug-use problem at the covered agencies.” The decision will be appealed, Scott said in a statement emailed to reporters.

Dave Salo watched his swimmer show up for work every morning in the fall of 2008, armed with more than determination and a desire to erase the past and push the fast-forward button four years. But Jessica Hardy was not going to be able to settle or solve her issues in 24.48 seconds or 1:04.45, her personal bests in the 50-meter freestyle and 100 breaststroke. No amount of training, in or out of the pool, was going to influence the Court of Arbitration for Sport or the IOC regarding future Olympic eligibility for the Long Beach native, who missed the 2008 Games because of a positive drug test.

PHOENIX — If the jeers at the Dodgers' spring-training home Friday were any indication, Ryan Braun will be lustily booed when the Milwaukee Brewers visit Dodger Stadium in late May. But Braun said the thought hasn't crossed his mind. "No, not really, to be honest with you," Braun said. "It's one of my favorite places to play, growing up in L.A. and being a Dodger fan. I don't even know when we go back to Dodger Stadium. " Braun, who attended Granada Hills High, tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone during the playoffs last year.

Saying "my name has been dragged through the mud," National League most valuable player Ryan Braun reported to spring training with the Milwaukee Brewers in Phoenix on Friday and declared he had been vindicated, a day after his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test was overturned by an arbitrator. Braun's teammates sat in the stands, in uniform, as he held a news conference on the field at the team's training complex. Braun said that, since what was supposed to be a confidential appeal was played out in public, "I've lived this nightmare every day for the last four months.

Reporting from Phoenix — Matt Kemp said Friday he was relieved to hear that Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers had successfully appealed his positive drug test and wouldn't be serving a 50-game suspension. "I was happy that he was not found guilty," Kemp said. "I know he's been going through a lot. Now, he and the Brewers can concentrate on just playing baseball, going about their business. " Kemp finished second to Braun in voting for the National League most valuable player last season.

Manny Ramirez found a taker in Oakland — at a bargain price. The suspended slugger agreed to a minor league contract Monday with the Athletics that is worth about $500,000 if he's added to the big league roster. The A's announced the deal and said Ramirez is expected to report to spring training by the end of the week, in time for Oakland's first full-squad workout Saturday. He is a non-roster invitee. The 12-time All-Star is due to serve a 50-game suspension for his second positive drug test before he can play for the A's. Barring rainouts, his first game could be May 30 -- on his 40th birthday.

The National Football League agreed today not to implement its new drug abuse program until an arbitrator decides whether Commissioner Pete Rozelle has the authority to require random drug testing. Richard Kasher will arbitrate a grievance filed by the union against the plan and he is expected to make a decision by mid-September.

Biotech giant Amgen, fresh off mixed earnings, said it will shell out $1.16 billion to broaden its product pipeline by buying fellow drug developer Micromet Inc. Thousand Oaks-based Amgen is already one of the world's premier pharmaceutical firms, but it's saddled with mostly older products, such as anemia treatment Epogen and arthritis medication Enbrel. Its portfolio is facing more competition and high expenses as similar products hit the market, analysts said. Amgen's profit in 2011 fell 20.4% year over year - largely because of higher costs - to about $3.7 billion, or $4.07 a share, the company said after the markets closed Thursday.

National League most valuable player Ryan Braun has tested positive for a banned substance and is appealing to avoid a 50-game suspension, according to people familiar with the case. ESPN cited two sources Saturday in first reporting the result, saying the Milwaukee Brewers slugger tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, and that a later test by the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal determined that it was synthetic. A spokesman for Braun, who beat out the Dodgers' Matt Kemp in MVP voting, said in a statement issued to ESPN and the Associated Press that "there are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence.