New Mexico § 60-1A-14 - Testing specimens

§ 60-1A-14. Testing specimens

A. The commission shall adopt rules applying to the handling of pre- and post-race,

out-of-competition and necropsy testing of blood serum plasma, urine or other appropriate

test samples identified by the commission to be taken from racehorses, following guidelines

that meet or exceed the standards established in model rules published by the association

of racing commissioners international, incorporated, or a successor organization or,

if none, by another nationally recognized organization that has published substantially

similar guidelines that are generally accepted in the horse racing industry as determined

by the commission. B. Each specimen taken from a racehorse shall be divided into two or more samples,

and: (1) one sample, designated as the “official sample”, shall be tested by the commission

or its designated laboratory in order to detect the presence of unauthorized drugs,

chemicals, stimulants, depressants or other prohibited substances as defined in guidelines

published by the association of racing commissioners international, incorporated,

or a successor organization or, if none, by another nationally recognized organization

that has published substantially similar guidelines that are generally accepted in

the horse racing industry as determined by the commission; and (2) the remaining samples, each designated as a “split sample”, may be forwarded by

the commission to the scientific laboratory division of the department of health or

maintained by the commission in a manner that meets or exceeds the guidelines identified

in Paragraph (1) of this subsection. C. After a positive test result on the official sample tested by the commission or

its designated laboratory and upon a written request from the president, executive

director or manager of the New Mexico horsemen's association on forms designated by

the commission, a corresponding split sample shall be transferred to an independent

laboratory in a manner prescribed by commission rule. D. All samples shall be kept in a controlled environment for a period of time specified

by the commission in each case. E. The commission shall contract with an independent laboratory to maintain a quality

assurance program. The laboratory shall meet or exceed the current national laboratory standards for

the testing of drugs or other foreign substances in a horse, as established by the

association of racing commissioners international, incorporated, or of a successor

organization or, if none, of another nationally recognized organization that has published

substantially similar guidelines that are generally accepted in the horse racing industry.