IT’S been a bad week for the AFL. First video footage emerged of former Greater Western Sydney player Shane Mumford from 2015 snorting a white powder and then text messages were published allegedly from a current AFL player about drugs and sex.

Mumford has recovered from a foot injury that forced him to retire last season and is looking to play AFL again, most likely at GWS where he is a ruck coach.

Under the AFL’s drug policy they have no choice but to let him play.

The AFL Players’ Association chose to let the league conduct random testing after players return from holidays. Most of the testing is done in November and December and again early in January.

The AFL wants to intercept and prevent issues that would arise, rather than name and shame.

The problem is this model isn’t working. Drug use in society is at an all-time high and mental health issues are increasing season on season. Every year players get done for drink-driving, which is an extension of society.

In many workplaces, employers test employees for different reasons. If they test positive, in most cases their employment is terminated.

Under the AFL’s illicit drugs policy, a strike is issued to any player who possesses, uses or deals an illicit drug, returns a positive sample or refuses to submit a sample to drug testers.

Under the policy, a player receives a $5000 fine for a first strike while also undergoing counselling and target testing. On the second strike a player's name is made public and they serve a four-match suspension. A third strike incurs a 12-match suspension.

Strikes must take place within four years of each other to be considered second, third or subsequent strikes. First or second strikes do not constitute misconduct under AFL rules.

It’s time the AFL abandoned this policy and left testing and punishment to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).

If players are caught at their workplace, either training or playing with drugs in their system, they should be suspended for two years as Collingwood pair Lachlan Keefe (now at GWS) and Josh Thomas were.

Magpie Sam Murray is going through the same process at the moment and is likely to cop a two-year ban.

What makes it confusing is when players are heavily penalised, while many others do the same thing and get away with it.

Players know the system and some are cheating it. Ben Cousins never tested positive. Ditto Dane Swan, who admitted to using recreational drugs in his book.

I know of players who have used illicit drugs this off-season and there are still a few months to go before the first ball is bounced for the 2019 season. I dread to think what will happen if video emerges of them doing their thing.

The AFL needs to adopt a no tolerance approach. It will never stop drug taking, but it can continue to educate, and stop brushing incidents under the carpet.