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[Al Gobbi]

HISA releases draft list of controlled, banned medications

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has released a draft list of banned and controlled substances for public review and comment, along with a letter from the chairman of its medication control committee acknowledging that the list was informed by international standards that differ in many respects from regulations in use at U.S. racetracks.

The list, which provides the classifications for hundreds of substances, has become a source of concern for many horsemen because of the traditional tug-of-war between regulators and horsemen over what substances should be allowed to appear in post-race samples and those that should be strictly banned. Under HISA’s rules, all of the substances on the list are considered “prohibited,” but that category includes both “banned” substances and “controlled” substances. Controlled substances are those that are allowed to be administered within certain timeframes prior to a race.

The list also includes classifications for substances that have a “higher risk” of showing up in drug tests as the result of accidental contamination, a major source of concern for horsemen in how substances are regulated.

https://www.drf.com/news/hisa-releas...ed-medications