RMTC Cites Progress in Medication Reform Plan
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) said Dec. 9 the Thoroughbred industry has made “major gains” this year in the number of jurisdictions operating or soon to be operating under all or part of the National Uniform Medication Program.
The model rules adopted by the RMTC and Association of Racing Commissioners International include the Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule, which lists threshold testing levels and recommended withdrawal times for commonly used, legal substances; third-party administration of race-day furosemide; a multiple medication violation (MMV) penalty system; and requirements for laboratory accreditation.
“Throughout 2014 the RMTC staff has traveled extensively and spent innumerable hours consulting with state regulators and others to assist in the full implementation of these new model rules that are so important to the safety and integrity of horse racing,” RMTC executive director Dionne Benson, DVM, said. “We thank all of those who have worked in good faith to accomplish an unprecedented level of uniformity in 2014, and look forward to continuing the effort in 2015 and beyond.”
The RMTC, a group of 23 industry stakeholders, said that by early next year, the number of states with the Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule in place could be at least 16, up from four at the beginning of 2014. Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, and West Virginia have joined or will soon join Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia in regulating therapeutic medications under the new guidelines
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