Referring to the taxation of drugs and the extremes what they will do to get them

Regarding Walker he must be as thick as a submarine door to throw away the job that he had, not only that but keeping young lads out who I'm sure would do a better job than 3 games played and 2 years out.

Yeah this is true. I used to send lads for Drugs and alcohol tests in my former job. Cocaine is usually up to 2 days in the blood but as Slugger rightly says. Your hair is like a tree, you can read it like a timeline. Remember when Britney Spears walked into the hairdressers and shaved her hair off and everybody thought she had gone loopy? She was in a custody battle and had to provide samples to be analysed for drugs. Not so loopy after all but the media bought it.

On the subject in hand. Walker is an idiot. I have seen many rugby players doing it. I have even walked in on Gareth Hock doing it in the toilets with 2 of his mates before he got caught. I think the RFL need to take a hard line on this now. Automatic 5 year ban. No excuses.

Thanks for that, interesting.

The thing is if you dye your hair they can't test it for drugs which could account for all the players dying there hair blond throughout the season under the guise of some sort of bonding excuse

To be honest i have no idea at all whether hair dye would mess the test up, however what i will say is that sometimes Wigan players turn out with blonde hair, although there is no conspiracy involved in that one i am afraid. Quite amusingly, that is Shaun Wane's punishment for being late for training.

All the leeds players dyed their hair blond

The whole drug culture stinks throughout society, not just amongst sports people. I believe in hardline punishment for ALL offenders. What I can't understand is why the NHS and suchlike terat smokers with such disdain, and alcoholics a little less so, yet they bend over backwards to help drug addicts.

It's been a problem for years I'd like to know if other teams been randomly tested. A unamed group of players from a certain club in Spain had bags of the stuff. U can't tell me sandow was playing clean all last year . Rubbish just not been tested. Walkers a idiot but they must test more teams and not just this game as the scapegoat.

I'm on both sides of this fence.
Coke isn't performance enhancing quite like other bands drugs are so in my mind shouldn't be treated the same by the sport or drugs monitors.
However it isn't appropriate for a player either same as getting bladder Ed on alcohol.

If I ran a club I'd happily test ever player (and staff) every week.
If the cost is too high I would have very regular random tests on everyone and a few regular ones too.... there is just no place for it.

Drugs have been the scourge of society worldwide for donkeys years. They wreck lives (not just the idiots taking them!) and they make the scum of society who supply them rich, and often murderous in their efforts to ply their filth.
I take a hard line on them. IF proven then Walker should literally walk.
I don't want my great club tainted by drugs of any form. NO EXCUSES. Get rid.

I think the last part of your sentence is the exact point. Yes it is common place these days, however these people aren't a normal jack the lad off the street. They are supposed to be role models. If i got tested at my place of work with drugs in my system i would be sacked on the spot. I worked in an industry where i would be tested regularly. The people doing the test would give you a form to fill in beforehand and it gives you the option to declare anything you have had which could mess the test up. Cough medicine, painkillers etc. If you have had any of those and you don't declare it then you fail the test because it shows up. Cannabis is in your system for up to 30 days, cocaine for usually about 2 and steroids for up to 2 years. If you are in a job where random testing is common place then to chance it you really have to be an idiot.

No its not performance enhancing its an illegal class A drug that carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison for possession enough said

Wow. I just looked it up.
It's up to 7 years in prison for possession and up to life and/or unlimited fine for supply and production.

Clearly they don't do the max every time but why on earth would you risk that.

It's still not performance enhancing in the same way but I agree it's rightly illegal and takes it outside sport as an issue.

In my last job before retirement I was a drug and alcohol tester I carried out tests mainly after accidents or incidents on railway staff, however some companies do have random test carried out on their staff
I sub contracted to BUPA, who were just about to incorporate hair testing which can detect minute amounts of illicit substances AND not just head hair either bold people can have samples taken from any site usually from arms or legs
The test process was so accurate it could identify the specific strain of drug even the country of origin

Crazy you can get 7 years for something like that yet a rapist can be walking free within a few months, the whole drug legalisation needs to be looked into as the current system is not working.

Agree wholeheartedly IM but like I said earlier, it's mainly what they do to acquire and what they do after taking them that's the problem. I work and talk with them everyday and some of the conversions are horrendous.

Bit confusing that BLM, are you talking about drug users in general or the players ??

Prison.

What they going to do to the rest of the team for taking sleeping tablets Friday night

I thought that our 3/4's had been taking drop's

In reality although a fairly serious criminal offence unlawful possession of Class A Drugs hardly ever leads to 7 years imprisonment.

I believe the courts are weak when it comes to sentencing for drugs offences and society is infested with drug misuse issues with cocaine on the night club/pub scene readily available....As for your other comment according to some research the average sentence in the UK for rape is 8 years although I believe the maximimum sentence dependant on aggravating factors is 15 years.

Walker is a professional sportsman and a role model to some....he has almost breached a position of trust. Others outside of sport would lose their jobs in these circumstances and so should he. A 2 year ban will give him time to understand what it's like in the real world trying to earn a living and pay the bills (whilst hopefully getting drugs misuse support.)

He may then at 28/29 have the chance to resurrect his career returning to rugby if he can clean up his act and appreciate the talent & opportunity he has got (and that many others would love to have!).

There needs to be a grown up conversation about decriminalising some drugs - because the so-called war on drugs has patently been lost; and the illegality of it simply means that the whole trade is done by crims and gangsters, and the money involved goes on to fund all manner of nasty things.

Whilst there's undoubtedly societal problems from some people's use - there are significantly more from alcohol - over-use of which is part of our culture and is not only tolerated, but celebrated. That seems wrong to me - particularly given that plenty of people use recreational drugs of a weekend, without robbing pensioners or causing mayhem.

With regard to Walker and Chase - this is an employment issue and a simple one; they've been found to have drugs in their system and, like any employer, if its prohibited by the club, they can be sacked; they are bloody idiots for not understanding how to flush it from your system - plenty of exercise and lots of water, and it's gone in 48 hours - or the byproduct is, since cocaine itself is not testable.

This

There is no large scale gang warfare regarding alocohol. There are shootings just about every week in Sheffield which are undoubtedly drug related. shootings about the supply of alcohol are surely extremely rare.
Can't agree with your last paragraph - you seem to be excusing them ! IMO they are bloody idiots for taking them. End of.

Yes there are many that use recreational drugs without any problems Bren, but there are far far more that use them 24/7 365 days a year which I'm Afraid are the ones who don't give a crap about you, me or anyone. You can legalise it do whatever, but that won't stop how they get the funds to finance it or the destruction and heartache they cause when on them. Only the suppliers might be slowed down slightly but will never be stopped. Stiffer sentences for all crimes and back to the old school in the penal system so they don't come back will go a long way.