Florida Legislature Holds Fate of Racehorse Drug Reforms

Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stakeholders in Florida said they are united in backing the National Uniform Medication Program, but its fate lies with the state legislature.
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Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stakeholders in Florida said they are united in backing the National Uniform Medication Program, but its fate lies with the state legislature.

United Florida Horsemen, a partnership that works on legislative and regulatory issues, said agreement on the equine medication program was reached in early April. Florida horsemen earlier were labeled as holdouts in endorsing the plan, which includes the Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule and a new penalty system for violators.

Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association executive director Kent Stirling said April 23 the issue is reluctance by lawmakers to open state racing law to include the new drug policy.

"We've pretty much been told they're trying to back-door it in," Stirling said. "The problem is if you open (the law), everyone starts trying to add other stuff to it

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Tom LaMarra, a native of New Jersey and graduate of Rutgers University, has been news editor at The Blood-Horse since 1998. After graduation he worked at newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as an editor and reporter with a focus on municipal government and politics. He also worked at Daily Racing Form and Thoroughbred Times before joining The Blood-Horse. LaMarra, who has lived in Lexington since 1994, has won various writing awards and was recognized with the Old Hilltop Award for outstanding coverage of the horse racing industry. He likes to spend some of his spare time handicapping races.

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