TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Racing greyhounds in Florida will continue to be tested for cocaine and other drugs. The State Department of Business and Professional Regulation has issued an emergency rule to allow for the drug testing.
The emergency rule comes a week after an administrative judge invalidated the department's previous drug testing procedures.
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The State Department of Business and Professional Regulation is fighting back after an administrative judge declared the department's policy for drug testing greyhounds invalid. His ruling found the policies were never properly adopted into state regulations.
In response, the department has issued an emergency rule. Citing an immediate danger to public health, it allows the state to continue testing greyhounds.
Anti-racing advocates echo the state's concerns.
"It's open season in Florida for people to use drugs in the greyhounds," said Laura Bevan with the Humane Society. "It means that the racing is less honest than it was before and it's just another point that leads us to say it's time for greyhound racing to be gone in Florida."
Pro-racing advocates say the current drug testing methods and standards often result in false positives, and they're upset the state didn't work with them to come up with a new, more reliable policy.
Jack Cory, a lobbyist for the Florida Greyhound Association, said the state's standards for a failed test are so low, natural trace amounts of substances can result in a breeder losing their license.
"We need to update the rules and the testing so that they meet the standards today; protecting the animal No. 1, protecting the integrity of racing No. 2," Cory said.
Anti-racing group Grey2K said it's happy the state moved quickly to issue a new rule, but it fears pending doping cases could still be thrown out, leaving dogs in danger.
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation has also filed a motion asking the administrative judge to reconsider his initial ruling. If reversed, it would prevent pending cases from being thrown out.