California putting temporary hold on approving TRT exemptions

The California State Athletic Commission (CDSAC) will not be approving any new exemptions for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) until its new policy on the subject becomes law. The time frame, according to CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster, could be anywhere between two months and one year. The few with exemptions already in place will be allowed to continue.

For a relatively short period of time, the California State Athletic Commission is not going to be approving of any therapeutic use exemptions for testosterone, or as it's often called, TRT (testosterone replacement therapy).

According to Andy Foster, the Executive Director of the commission, the issue is not banning TRT usage in the state at all, but simply waiting for the approval of a policy on the issue already written by commission members Dr. Van Buren Lemons and Martha Shen Urquidez.

"The policy is pretty much done," he said.

As far as when the policy will be enacted, it could be anywhere from two months to one year. "It depends on whether we can get a 60 day emergency rule put into place," said Foster. "If not, it could take 90 days, or perhaps almost a year."

At this point, this may have no effect on UFC, which has no announced events scheduled in the state at this time. Bellator has two dates scheduled, one in September and another in November.

At the commission's Monday hearing, Department of Consumer Affairs lawyer Michael Santiago argued that until the regulation is approved and on the books, the commission shouldn't be approving fighters to be allowed to use a banned substance (testosterone) without a policy in writing.

In theory, once someone goes on TRT it shuts down their own production of testosterone. That could create the need for it for the rest of their life, thus becoming a touchy situation. Foster said that athletes who have been approved for TRT in the state will be grandfathered in as long as their current license is active if they are to fight during the time frame before the new regulations are in place. He also said the number of fighters who fall into this category is tiny.

The belief is that California has approved less than five exemptions for MMA fighters, although Foster would not state a number. "We really don't have that many," he said. "We been getting a big increase in applications. We mostly turn them down. We've been getting a lot of calls about it."

"The commission's concern is we were starting to see an increase in these types of applications," said Foster. "We can't disclose who is asking, but I think it's important we develop a policy so that everyone understands what's required."

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California putting temporary hold on approving TRT exemptions