Earlier this month, professional Counter Strike: Global Offensive player Kory “Semphis” Friesen stated in an interview that he and other players frequently use the prescription stimulant Adderall during tournaments. Now, the Electronic Sports League (ESL) and other esports organizations are considering taking steps to prevent further drug abuse at professional matches.

“We’ve known for some time that performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) would be a challenge we would need to face eventually as the professionalism and stakes increased across the board in esports,” ESL head of communications Anna Rozwandowicz told Eurogamer. “PEDs are a topic we are discussing at an organisational level and will be one that we need to address industry wide going forward to maintain the integrity of our sport.”

While the rules for some ESL tournaments prohibit drug use, the organization itself does not have any explicit rules or systems in place to deal with the issue, and instituting a drug testing policy could take some time.

“The integrity of our sport is and always will be our biggest concern,” Rozwandowicz told Wired. “When we first saw [Friesen’s comments], we focused immediately on kickstarting a policy-making process and adjusting the rules.”

He added, “We have worked on changes, reached out to authorities for support, and will be ready to announce our next steps in a couple of days. When that comes out, you can treat that as our full statement on the issue.”

UK-based esports organization Gfinity stated that it would also be updating its anti-drug policies, but it denies the claim that drug abuse is rampant at tournaments.

“[These changes are] not because e-sports is rife with PEDs as some would have you believe,” a Gfinity spokesperson told The Daily Dot. “But more to do with the world we live in which means high level competition requires drug testing to prove innocence, as unfortunately due to the numerous examples in traditional sports we now live in a world where drug testing is required to not only catch and expose cheats but more importantly to protect the image of the genuine superstars.”

The spokesperson noted that Gfinity has previously investigated a player suspected of drug use, but it turned out to be a caffeine supplement.

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