Louisiana Rescinds Two Controversial Medication Rules

According to published reports, the Louisiana Racing Commission voted unanimously June 4 to rescind two controversial, recently passed rules related to clenbuterol and methylprednisolone that would have significantly relaxed Thoroughbred medication rules in the state.

Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator but has been widely abused due to its anabolic properties. Methylprednisolone, often known by its trade name Depo-Medrol, is a corticosteroid often used for joint injections.

The rollback following Tuesday’s meeting comes after backlash from much of the racing industry and Louisiana legislators after the LRC passed regulations on several medications earlier this spring. The rules, which were adopted under emergency procedures in April and gained public notice last week, were to become effective June 8.

Many of the controlled medication rules in Louisiana are already more liberal than those in place in the rest of the country.

The attempted loosening of LRC medication rules was widely viewed as pushback against Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority regulations. While much of the country falls under HISA and its independent enforcement agency, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, Louisiana and West Virginia do not after being granted a stay in a lawsuit contesting HISA. A Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision regarding the constitutionality of the law that authorized HISA is expected this year.

HISA, and prominent racing states such as Kentucky in the years before HISA, have pushed back withdrawal times on corticosteroids in an effort to ensure that prerace veterinary exams are being conducted with the horses clear of these substances. 

“The overall belief was that the pendulum has swung too far,” LRC executive director Steve Landry told BloodHorse last week in explaining the planned June 8 changes, noting the state’s revisions were based on talks with veterinarians. “It was getting to the point that trainers and veterinarians were so restricted that they couldn’t properly train and treat their horses. We thought it had gotten to the point that it was a safety issue for the horses and the humans that were with them—the way the medication restrictions got so tight.”

Officials from Churchill Downs Inc., which operates Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in the state, said they had no opportunity to weigh in on the LRC’s April action. Officials from CDI spoke up during Tuesday’s meeting in opposition to the April rules.

According to Daily Racing Form and Paulick Report, the regulations concerning clenbuterol and methylprednisolone will return to those in force prior to the adoption of the new rules—with clenbuterol banned within 14 days of a race, not 72 hours, as would have been in place under the controversial April-passed rules. Methylprednisolone will return to being banned within 21 days of a race rather than seven days prior to a race. Methylprednisolone will continue to have tight limits on dosage and its threshold level for post-race testing.

The motion adopted Tuesday will require the commission to study the issues surrounding the drugs for 90 days prior to reconsidering the rules, per Daily Racing Form and Paulick Report. That will include discussions with the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

ARCI released a statement June 5 from its president Ed Martin.

“The ARCI Model Rules process has served the horse racing industry and fans well for decades and has been a vehicle to achieve a substantially common approach to anti-doping regulation in a sport not limited by the borders or any state, province or county.

“Recent actions by the Louisiana Racing Commission indicated a desire to rethink some of those rules. We respect the laws that authorize each regulatory entity to determine its own rules, but we encourage a collective and transparent approach to policy formation where all viewpoints are openly considered and discussed. That is what the ARCI Model Rules process offers…

“Louisiana has asked the ARCI to consider the information they reviewed that prompted some of the modifications they put forward. We will do that through our Drug Testing Standards and Practices Committee, chaired by Dr. John Chancey, DVM,” Martin continued. “We will consider this in an open forum and other organizations, individuals, or regulatory entities like HISA will be afforded the opportunity to provide input.

“Horse racing continues to struggle with breakdowns. By working together collectively we have reduced the rate, but we must remain ever vigilant to ensure that we never stop trying to improve.    

“We applaud yesterday’s decision by the Louisiana commission to re-engage in this process. I make no representation as to what will or will not happen as a result of our discussions. Likewise, we would encourage HISA to become active in the ARCI Model Rules process as the horse racing industry does not stop with Thoroughbreds or at the borders of the U.S. or states where HISA is in effect.     

“We continue to encourage all racing regulatory entities to rely upon the Model Rules.

“There is nothing wrong with a regulatory entity trying a new approach and it should not matter whether it is Louisiana, HISA, or someone else. What matters is whether it works better than what we have been doing. If it does, then everyone should embrace it.”