The issue of banned drugs is heating up in Congress.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who chaired the October 8 U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Oversight Subcommittee hearing, heralded the NCAA's position on ephedrine as a progressive national effort to combat the use of the potentially dangerous nutritional supplement.

Frank Uryasz, president of The National Center for Drug Free Sport, testified on behalf of the NCAA. Uryasz's remarks were developed in conjunction with the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.

The hearing focused on what government agencies and private organizations are doing to protect consumers from dietary supplements that contain ephedrine. Durbin noted that the evidence of health problems associated with ephedrine use is growing, and he urged the Secretary of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to use their authority to suspend sales of those products until ephedrine's safety can be assured.

Durbin heard testimony from the family of an Illinois high-school student-athlete who died after using ephedrine-containing nutritional supplements. Other medical and consumer protection groups reporting ephedrine-related deaths and adverse health consequences also contacted Durbin.

The NCAA banned the use of ephedrine, including ephedra and ma huang, in 1997 in order to address the reported use of the supplement by student-athletes who sought a competitive advantage. Ephedrine also recently was added to year-round testing, which means all student-athletes will be subject to ephedrine testing.