Medication Regulation with Dr. Benson
Tucson, AZ — On April 17, Dr. Dionne Benson, Executive Director & CEO for the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) visited the RTIP as a guest speaker. Dr. Benson took time to speak about current regulation regarding medication in both the Joe Hirsch Speaker Series and the Advanced Racing Law class.
In the speaker series, Dr. Benson discussed current events in racing medication regulation. One of the key issues in today’s racing environment being most drug overages are due to therapeutic medications which is cause for concern because these medications are highly effective. Benson further pointed out that there is a distinction between drug positives and medication positives. While it can be difficult to keep up with the shifting landscape of performance enhancing drugs, watching human bodybuilding sites is one way to be aware of what may be coming next in racing. Dr. Benson also discussed issues such as CBD and its use in horses. With little research into the effects of hemp on horses and the growing number of states legalizing marijuana, medication positives involving CBD and hemp are starting to rise.
In Advanced Racing Law, Benson discussed research initiatives and medication regulation globally. The RMTC is conducting research into the effects of selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), Bupivacaine, and bisphosphonates. This research is crucial to the racing industry because any usages in younger horses can be severely detrimental while they are building their skeletal structure. Bisphosphonates specifically are a major concern as they can create pockets of dead bone which means an unsound horse by the time it makes it to the track.