She tried to retain her title at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, but ended up third behind England's Tessa Sanderson and Fatima Whitbread. In 1987, just prior to the Rome World Championships, Howland was ranked third in the world for her event and was a medal prospect. However, after having been detected taking banned drugs, she was disqualified from competition for 2 years just prior to the championships. In September 1987, Howland tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.