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Article: Amphetamine use goes unchecked.(SPORTS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- May 29, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Joe Christensen; Staff Writer
By the end of his 20-year major league career, Tony Gwynn decided baseball's steroid problem paled in comparison to what he perceived as its biggest drug problem: amphetamines.
Known as "speed" or "uppers" on the street, the little pep pills are commonly called "greenies" in baseball circles. Amphetamines have been illegal without a prescription since 1970, but greenies still remain a quiet part of the game's culture - a way to spur adrenaline, combat fatigue and increase focus.
This year, Major League Baseball stiffened its drug-testing policy, coming down harder on steroid users. But amphetamines still go ...