ARTEST SEEKS MORE CLARITY ON NBA DRUG POLICY

Word around the NBA is the 1-12 Bulls obviously haven't been taking any
performance enhancers.

But the four-game suspension slapped on Bears quarterback Jim Miller
Wednesday was a wakeup call for coaches and players in all sports to review
the drug policies of their respective game.

The Bulls have one of the youngest teams in the league, including
20-year-olds--Ron Artest and Elton Brand.

"(General Manager) Jerry Krause spends a great deal of time with the
players in the preseason talking about and reviewing banned substances,"
coach Tim Floyd said. "In addition our team doctors and (trainer) Fred
Tedeschi have statements posted that are reminders. We also have one-on-one
sessions where they have a chance to reiterate what the NBA policy is"

Still, Artest candidly says he is not clear about the NBA substance abuse
policies.

"No, not at all," said Artest, whom the league reprimanded for missing
rookie orientation sessions this summer. "One time I was going to take
NyQuil, but I don't think you can take NyQuil. They said there is something
inside of it. When I was younger, I used to take amino acids and I don't
even take that anymore. I know they do drug tests and that comes out as a
(banned) drug.

"They should have a handbook or something that you can read, because you
can get in trouble. They should just educate us and we probably won't have
any problems."

Coaches and trainers are unable to monitor what players do away from the
locker room setting.

"Sometimes you will be home by yourself on a day off and you go to the
store to pick up something," Artest said. "Some vitamins or something. But
you might not be able to use it because of the NBA rules. I actually had
this vitamin pack on the road. I didn't bring my multivitamins, so I went
to the store and got a vitamin pack. But there was something in there that
I couldn't take, so I wound up not taking it."

The NBA adopted the framework for an anti-drug program in 1997. Subsequent
negotiations with the players association modified it.

Now the panel of banned drugs includes amphetamines, opiates, marijuana,
LSD, MDMA, performance-enhancing substances (as well as heroin and
cocaine). The new agreement also allows the NBA to add new banned drugs
during the term of the collective bargaining agreement, subject to the
players association's right to arbitrate the "reasonableness" of any
additions.

The testing of NBA veterans occurs once during the training camp period.
There is the same three-stage program for all drugs except marijuana and
performance-enhancing substances.

For performance-enhancing substances, the penalties are to be agreed upon
by the parties. There are tougher standards for noncompliance with aftercare.

"Awareness is half the battle," Floyd said. "Sometimes players aren't aware
of what the banned substances are. They don't stop to think: `If I take
this for whatever reason, is this on the list?' I think this is something
that has to be an ongoing process."