"While Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun and his lawyer prepare their defense that he is innocent of violating baseball's antidrug policy, doping in sports operates under a strict standard.

"In the world of doping, we use the principle of strict liability," said Gary I. Wadler, professor of medicine at Hofstra North Shores LIJ School of Medicine and former chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List and Method subcommittee. "So if you knew how it got there or not, if it's in your body, you are held accountable."

Nor is it a legal issue, Wadler said.

"What is legal in the United States may not be permitted in the sport of baseball."

As part of Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement with its players, there is a long list of banned drugs, performance-enhancing substances and stimulants.

Besides the drugs that are illegal to use, such as cocaine, marijuana and various opiates, there are 73 drugs listed as performance-enhancing substances and 58 kinds of stimulants."