MLB, MLBPA halts penalties for marijuana, but what about IGF-1?
By Manny Gómez
On Monday, it was announced that MLB will remove marijuana from the banned substance list for minor leaguers, but what about IGF-1?
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, as part of a new agreement on opioids, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to remove marijuana from the banned substance list for minor leaguers. The LA Times later added that the league is looking to include tests for opioids.
Earlier this season, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room. Reports later revealed that the pitcher had fentanyl and oxycodone as well as alcohol in his bloodstream.
Don’t get me wrong, baseball is right in removing marijuana from MiLB’s banned substance list. What’s more, the move puts minor league players on par with MLB players, who are not tested for marijuana.
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What is wrong, however, is that baseball’s banned substance list still contains “substances” that really shouldn’t be banned. I’m speaking about the illusive IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor), a hormone that all humans produce. It is made when the pituitary gland produces growth hormone (GH). The GH is then delivered to the liver where it is transformed into IGF-1.
IGF-1 took the world stage back in 2013 when reports leaked that Baltimore Ravens player Ray Lewis was using deer antler velvet, which is rich in the hormone. At the time, many people didn’t know what to make of the news, but when it was revealed that the hormone was banned, the sports world ran amok, comparing it to anabolic steroids.
The fact of the matter is, IGF-1 occurs naturally in many items that we consume every day, including milk and red meat. It even occurs naturally in skim milk lattes such as the on Justin Verlander is depicted here with.
Have you ever used whey protein powder? Drank a glass of milk? A handful of blueberries? Well, according to baseball’s rules, you’re using PED’s.
What’s more, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), whom baseball uses to handle testing for banned substances, has since removed IGF-1 from their banned substance list. MLB, however, has decided to keep the hormone on.
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In the past, I’ve proposed the question to MLB – heck, I’ve even called the commissioners office and left messages – why is IGF-1 still considered a banned substance? I have yet to receive an answer.
Maybe now is a good time to try again.