If cigarettes or alcohol were 'invented' tomorrow they would almost certainly be made illegal, as many similar (and arguably lesser substances are at present).

However, as they have both become part of our culture (and a major income-generator for the Govt!) it's almost impossible to treat them in the same way as a other drugs.

Whatever you think of the classification of different drugs, Gov knowingly broke the rules and took a banned substance.

FWIW I think the RFL/Sport England are right to ban athletes for use of recreational drugs, partly because of their position as role-models (if Govin and others were at it for so long, why would East/Miners plays think they shouldn't do it?!) and partly because recreational drugs CAN have an impact on your performance on the field, even if only psychological.

Do feel sorry for Govin but he only has himself to blame.

While I agree with most of your post, why don't the Governing body follow a similar stance on GBH or other criminal acts (of which there are plenty).

blimey,what would you do if they banned alcohol frank ?

Toulouse still hasn't recovered from the last Leyth visit......

Well that is my point Peter I think it should not be banned and be left to the individual.

how would the rest of the sporting world behave towards rl if they refused to enforce bans that all other sports enforce?.

Dico you are dead right about the GBH thing but did'nt a Leeds player get 12 months in the nick for it. The thing about health related problems is they can't compare it with alcohol as people who use drugs only go to hospital when they are really in trouble with their problem. Two last questions if you were an employer and you caught an employee drunk at work what would you do? If you were an employer and you caught someone doing coke at work what would you do?

I'd just been watching an old match with a mate and was on about Duffy and he must have got stuck in me yed

sack them both

Quite easy Frank Cocaine heroin etc... were made illegal after a multi country meeting on drug controls in the early 1920's (I think it was), and alcohol and tobacco was not on the agenda because at that time the trade in the other drugs was not controlled by multi millionare companies and countries got no tax from, I bet if the same meetings were held now things would be quite different.
All the 'natural' Narcotics have been around for centuries and both heroin and Cocaine were freely available and legal for a long long time in this country.

Some of you are wrongly thinking Im advocating Cocaine use I'm just giving an alternative argument than the 'hang em high' brigade also a lot of you are mixing Cocaine use/abuse with Crack-cocaine use/abuse which is a totally different 'animal' and is highly dangerous and addictive - it is said that Crack-cocaine addiction can be 'caught' by just one try of the substance, and is taken in a very different way than powdered Cocaine.

Pretty sure not many people wanted Hock counselled more like banned for life!!
One thing that needs to happen his hes needs supporting and not being ignored and left to rot!

But that's not always the case Frank - for instance you have given up smoking now for how many days? Yet I am still suffering from being around you all those years you smoked





Well done you for giving up though and KEEP IT UP mate

Wish he would give up drinking Henry, that would save us a bob or two.

For me ive NO SYMPATHY for Gov , he knew the risks and still chose to Dabble,as do all the Players.

Drugs when misused are EVIL,i have a younger Brother ,hes been in the Cemetery for 22 years now through Drugs ,i can also see 4 of his mates graves from his ,never tell me Drugs are OK, they are not they Ruin lives and families,ihad to get this off my chest,lets talk about RUGBY



.

Well said Charlie I used to run around with agroup of about 10 or 12 mates. There are only 5 of us left all but one have gone through drugs. Don't anyone tell me drink is just as bad. Yes lets get back to rugby.

Sorry to heat about the deaths, it is very sad and I have been mates with a few who died myself. I am tipping that ALL of them died due to injecting heroin though. I am willing to bet that none of them died from coke or cannabis or LSD directly though. I have known a few who have died from liver failure though, a few of those under 40. Guess what from.

If a player was taking steroids, clenbuterol, EPO etc then that is cheating and should be punished much more severely than someone taking recreational drugs. If a player took speed or coke just before KO you could class it as a PED mind.

you can't lump all illegal drugs as killers life ruiners perhaps and as for comparisons re deaths just ask your GP's

Hmmmm, looking around google for any kind of results = US gubbermint saying what can and can not be said....

Not a surprise for the US mind. They just help wage a war in Columbia......whilst........no ex presidents named at all. no siree.

Before we throw the boy on the scrap heap lets look at the model set by our friends down the road with Mr Hock. he now has a choice - carry on and remian a pariah or work at putting things right! Yes Govins been a complete tool, but he should be given help and support, IF HE WANTS IT!!!

FWIW - I agree with the comments on the hypocrisy or lack of understanding re. controlled substances, yes a line of coke is harmful but then again draping yourself over a bar and drinking 30 units of alcohol is equally harmful, argubly more so, yet one is illegal and 'performance enhancing', the other is all'reet and considered the stuff of a 'bit of a lad'.

With reply to your statement , my brother never injected drugs ,he died because his body had no tolarence to what he took ,resulting in an Overdose ,though i stress it wasnt suicide on his part , anyone who knew him and he was well known ,would tell you his love of life , he was a Foolish lad who made a very costly mistake ,i STILL MISS HIM THOUGH,again i say lets talk about RUGBY.

with great respect that's all well and good as long as it dosn't affect other individuals ie passive smoking,drunken driving & psychological affect a drugs death has on the family etc - a cousin died of drug abuse at 21 and wasn't discovered for days which totally devastated his parents et al.What a waste of a life........

But he'll still be hanging around with the same old mates who are doing the same old thing , so the temptation to have another dabble is always there .

That's my theory on why so many who go into rehab or prison ( well maybe drugs are just as rife in there ) to get clean / dry out come out and hang out with the same old gang and are soon back to square one .

I read a really good article in a paper on holiday a couple of years ago (can't remember which one or who by?) where the writer proposed that prisoners should be allowed, encouraged or even required to re-locate and set up a new life for themselves whilst on parole.

May have been in the US, where nipping back home isn't quite as easy because of the size of the country although, as the writer correctly pointed out, it would never work as some do-gooders would argue that it is against someone's human rights.

Think the article went on to suggest that a repeat offender (3 strikes and you're out) couldn't blame anyone/anything but themselves after a fresh start and should be imprisoned for life, regardless of their crime, which I felt may be a bit OTT?!

who cares ??? if he can't see what he's done is completely stupid & nonsensical then why worry about him if he won't see the error of his ways ? Hock is the example to follow surely and give him our full support ? We are all capable of going off the rails,I should know but the idea is to learn from our mistakes.
Prison works for some tho' not for others

Early days with Hock so far.

Not that early 2 years!! 1 of which he had to prove to the club he could sort himself out the second of which he has been working hard to get the message out to youngsters not to take drugs!!

When Hock was banned there was abig outcry unfortunately he was just one of many taking it in the sport! Many wont learn until they are caught sadly!