NORTH BERGEN – Senator Nicholas Sacco, an outspoken leader in addressing drug abuse in our schools and prime sponsor of S-500, which would outline the procedures used by schools in random drug testing, made the following statement today following Governor Codey’s signature of Executive Order 46 creating the Governor’s Task Force on Steroid Use and Prevention:
“I applaud Governor Codey’s commitment to tackling the complex issue of steroid abuse by our student-athletes in such a holistic manner.
“The are many challenges that both our schools and our communities must address in order to curb the frightening growth of steroid abuse we are seeing. Action must be taken to limit access to illegal steroids, reduce the pressure on students to use steroids and educate athletes, parents and coaches on the dangerous side effects steroids can have on teenagers and young adults.
“The individuals who have volunteered to be a part of the Task Force have the broad range of expertise in athletics, medicine, and education needed to find the root causes of the rise in steroid use and develop comprehensive solutions to deal with these concerns. As both a legislator and an educator, I look forward to hearing the suggestions put forth by the Task Force and working with the Governor, the Legislature and school officials statewide to put those recommendations into action.”