AFL's tough new drug policy still on ice as old rules decide cases

The AFL's promised new illicit drugs policy is still not in force, seven months after it was announced in March 2026.

That delay matters right now. Any current cases, including possible punishments for Carlton players, will be dealt with under the old system, not the new one, according to The Australian. That report puts the start date for the new policy back to 2027.

The league and the AFL Players Association announced an in-principle agreement in March. They said it would be the toughest policy in Australian sport and would become operational in 2026 once outstanding matters were resolved, according to ABC News. As of October, those matters are still not resolved.

The hold-up leaves the old policy in place. That policy dates to 2005. The AFL has described it as unashamedly a harm minimisation policy. The idea is health first, punishment second.

Under that model, a first positive test — known as a strike — brings a suspended $5,000 fine plus targeted testing and counselling. Only the club doctor is told. A second strike means the player is named and suspended for four games. A third strike brings a 12-match suspension.

Only one player has ever reached three strikes. That was Travis Tuck in 2010.

The AFL runs two drug policies side by side. One is the anti-doping code, which covers performance-enhancing drugs on match day and in training. The other is the illicit drugs policy, which covers recreational drugs outside competition and aims to protect players.

Other cases have been dealt with outside the strikes system. Bailey Smith received a two-match suspension for illicit drug use in 2022 while at the Bulldogs under conduct unbecoming rules.

The policy has drawn criticism. Independent senator Andrew Wilkie denounced it in a speech to federal parliament in 2024. In August this year, five Sydney Swans players dubbed the Pullman Five were linked to allegations of drug use after an incident at the Pullman Hotel.

The proposed replacement would change how testing and confidentiality work. All AFL and AFLW players would complete annual education programs and give hair samples twice a year. A hair test can pick up drug use over months, rather than days.

A first positive test would place a player in a behavioural change program overseen by the club doctor. A second would trigger an individual management plan overseen by an AFL illicit drugs program manager. A third would send the player to a Fitness to Play assessment by an independent panel. Only at that point would the club president, chief executive and football boss be informed.

For fans, this means two systems for one problem. The league says the future is tougher and more health-led. For now, the past still applies.