HOUSTON -- With the Mitchell Report making waves throughout the sports world, local school officials said that steroid testing in high schools is right around the corner but insisted that it should not be rushed, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday.

"We're not going to speed up," said Rick Elizalde, the assistant superintendent for the Alief Independent School District. "The University Interscholastic League is being very careful with this because it could ruin some athletes."

Dr. Walter Lowe works with professional athletes and said he believes the lure to begin using steroids may start at the high school level.

"We really think that's where kids get their introduction to try to make the big 5A teams (and) the other teams that have a lot of kids going out," said Lowe.

That's why state Sen. Kyle Janek sponsored Senate Bill 8, implementing the nation's largest high school steroid testing program.

"This bill will not only let us know how much of a problem we have with steroid use among our children, but give our children one more reason to say no to the dangers of steroids," said Janek in a written statement.

The results of a nationwide study conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy showed that 1.6 percent of eighth-graders, 1.8 percent of 10th-graders and 2.7 percent of 12th-graders reported using steroids at least once in their lives.

Local school officials said they found that hard to believe.

"I really don't believe that at all," said Elizalde. "Maybe that's because I'm an old coach, but I don't believe that. I truly believe these young men and women are doing it the old fashioned way -- hard work."

But former Major League pitcher and former Astros Manager Larry Dierker said he sees the steroid issue from a different perspective.

"When I think about a guy that's 27 or (28) years old and he's at AAA making $50,000 and he's looking up thinking, 'If I'm just a little bit better, I'm in the big leagues making $325,000 and if I last a couple of years, I'll make millions of dollars,'" said Dierker. "That's a pretty strong incentive."

Dierker said he does not condone or support steroid use but believes athletes are going to do what they need to do to compete.

"If there are athletes like that in high school, you may get away with it for just a while but it will eventually catch up to you," said Elizalde. "Look at these pro athletes right now."

Officials said they know there are many obstacles when it comes to steroid testing.

"The most used steroids today, Human Growth Hormone, some of those derivatives, right now, don't have tests that we can do to prove whether people are using them or not," said Lowe.

Senate Bill 8 will require anyone who participates in high school athletics sanctioned by the UIL to agree not to use illegal steroids and submit to random testing if selected.