Combat Sports Law

In the wake of Nevada’s recent decision to up the ante for doping violators in combat sports, California appears geared to do the same.

This week California Senate Bill 469 underwent hearing and passed a vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee.  The Bill seeks to increase the California State Athletic Commission’s penalties for doping violations from a ceiling of $2,500 to a maximum of 40% of a fighter’s purse.

As Zach Arnold notes, this will create real incentive for the CSAC to conduct robust out of completion testing as high profile busts will help fund the high costs of out of competition blood and urine testing which the CSAC bears directly.

The overhauled legislative sections are proposed read as follows:

18649. (a) The administration or use of any drugs, alcohol,
stimulants, or injections in any part of the body or the use of any
prohibited substance specified in the Prohibited List of the World
Anti-Doping Code, as adopted by the World Anti-Doping Agency, by a
professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter licensed by the
commission shall be prohibited. The commission, in its discretion
and pursuant to regulations adopted pursuant to the Administrative
Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1
of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), may determine the
necessity of exemptions to this section for certain licensees.
(b) The commission may conduct testing at any time during the
period of licensure for a professional or amateur boxer or martial
arts fighter licensed by the commission to ensure compliance with
subdivision (a).
(c) The commission may collect blood and urine specimens from a
professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter licensed by the
commission to detect the presence of any prohibited substances.
Collection of specimens shall be done in the presence of authorized
commission personnel.
(d) A professional or amateur boxer or martial arts fighter
licensed by the commission, for which the presence of a prohibited
substance is detected through testing by the commission, shall be in
violation of this section and subject to the penalties described in
Section 18843.
SEC. 5. Section 18843 of the Business
and Professions Code is amended to read:
18843. (a) In addition to its authority
under other provisions of this chapter to take action against a
licensee, the commission, its executive officer, or his or her duly
authorized representative shall have the authority to assess fines
not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each
violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or any of the
rules and regulations of the commission.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision, the commission may also
assess a fine equal to 40% percent of the total purse for a violation
of Section 18649 related to the use of prohibited substances.