posted July 08, 2000 08:20 PM            

I think the best way to change things is to educate the general public and crush the myths surrounding steroid use. And things are changing, but very slowly. Andropause and testosterone replacement is becoming more recognized by doctors. But that doesn't do much for us.

Steroids could become non-scheduled, but it will take a lot more positive media coverage to do it. The public will have to realize that these drugs can have health benefits. And the masses will have to start demanding that their doctors give them a prescription to improve their quality of life. More men, young and old, will get testosterone even if it means breaking the law. Some will get arrested. Then the court cases will begin. If there were enough men with enough money to fight for easier access to steroids, then the laws might change.

This post kind of turned into my prediction- my vision of the future.

I just think that changing the laws will be a lot harder than some think. It will require much more people than the small population of steroid users.

The following is from Rick Collins. This is some of the stuff the public needs to open it's eyes to.

Does the criminal prosecution approach to the anabolic steroid problem work?

It depends whom one asks. Law enforcement authorities and proponents of criminalization contend that stiff penalties help deter trafficking, and that the strict controls associated with controlled substance status prevent pharmaceutical companies from manufacturing more product than could be legitimately used for FDA approved purposes. The Control Act addresses the diversion problem by the triplicate "paper trail" that is associated with controlled substances. But while the paper trail requirements have reduced the amount of legitimate steroids diverted to athletes, they have helped foster a booming counterfeit trade where underground labs make and label steroid products to mimic legitimate pharmaceuticals. These products completely bypass the Control Act�s paper trail. In a 1990 statement to Congress, Department of Justice officials estimated the black market to be a 300 million-dollar per year industry. Today the black market is estimated to be bigger than ever, at more than 400 million dollars in annual retail sales. So much for deterring steroid trafficking.

Protecting young people from danger is a worthy goal of any legislation. But if the true "steroid problem" is adverse health effects, mainly upon young people, the Control Act has been especially dangerous. A primary effect of the Control Act�s restrictions upon legitimate product has been the increased manufacture and distribution of black market counterfeit products and substandardly made veterinary steroids never intended for human consumption. Many of these black market products are tainted with impurities. It has been estimated that up to 90% of black market anabolic steroids are contaminated or contain other foreign substances. It is therefore evident that enforcement of the Control Act has greatly exacerbated the health risks associated with steroid use.

Another dangerous effect of the criminalization approach has been to discourage athletes, especially teens, from admitting their steroid usage to physicians. Since the greatest dangers inherent in self-administered steroid use involve the failure to be monitored by a doctor (see the Health Risk section of my web site), the Control Act has succeeded in greatly escalating this danger and has created an even wider gap between the athletes and the medical community. Because the self-administration of anabolics is a federal crime, few users are willing to confess their steroid use to physicians. And because federal enforcement efforts have targeted physicians, few doctors want anything to do with athletes taking steroids. Doctors caught distributing steroids to athletes have been criminally prosecuted. The end result is that the athletes using steroids rarely get regular blood pressure checks, cholesterol readings, prostate exams and liver enzyme tests, making steroid use far more hazardous than it would otherwise be.

Issues of cheating, "hollow victories," "winning at any cost," etc., are another ideological foundation for the Control Act. Allowing those with an unfair advantage to compete can pressure drug-free athletes to use anabolic steroids to remain competitive. But the Control Act has been of extremely limited value in addressing this "cheating" problem. Elite athletes are almost never prosecuted under the Control Act, obtaining their steroid supplies through sophisticated channels that avoid detection by law enforcement. The extremely remote possibility of criminal prosecution deters few if any Olympic and professional level athletes. The most effective way to eradicate anabolic steroids from competitive sports is through systematic drug testing. Athletes who fail the steroid test are prohibited from competing. While testing for anabolic steroids is not perfect, it does remove identified steroid-users from the sport and also serves as the most effective deterrent today. Serious athletes devote huge amounts of time, energy and resources into training for an event. The effect of drug testing � preventing steroid-using athletes from competing � is both a more effective and more appropriate deterrent than the Control Act�s threat of making overly ambitious athletes into convicted felons.

Another problem with the Control Act is the effect of criminalizing our young people. The student caught with steroids will be forever a felon. While anti-steroid experts try to minimize the real life effects of criminalization upon our young adults, we lawyers see it firsthand. For those unfortunate enough to be caught, the effects of prosecution can be devastating. This is especially true since most adult steroid users lead otherwise responsible, law-abiding lives. To offer a personal example, I am currently representing a man who was "set up" by his former training partner to sell to him a bottle of testosterone. The transaction was orchestrated by the narcotics bureau of the county police department at the taxpayers� expense. The deal was arranged to take place in a parking lot, and immediately after the transfer, a squad of law enforcement agents surrounded my client with guns drawn and handcuffed him. As my client, a gainfully employed and respectful young man, now faces a felony conviction and jail time, the question is raised whether such police operations really reflect a sensible approach to the problem and further whether they are a prudent or appropriate use of our government�s resources. The irreparable harms caused by the Control Act and similar laws may well outweigh the health risks associated with steroid use by most young adults.

Finally, commentators from both the legal and medical communities have noted an interesting cultural irony in the comparison of anabolic steroid administration to cosmetic surgery procedures. In a society preoccupied with physical appearance, confidence and self-image are often intertwined with body shape and condition. Under the current views and laws of our society, it is criminal for a physician to administer anabolic steroids to a healthy adult for purposes of cosmetic physical enhancement. However, it is perfectly acceptable (and quite lucrative) to perform the much more radical and dangerous procedure of surgically implanting foreign prosthetics into virtually all parts of the human anatomy for the same purpose, subjecting patients to the potentially fatal risks associated with general anesthesia and post-surgical infection. Many more people have died or been permanently injured from botched liposuctions and other cosmetic surgery procedures in the past few years than in over forty years of anabolic steroid use by athletes. If one of these alternatives must be illegal, it would seem that the current state of legality regarding these procedures might best be reversed.

For a deeper analysis and evaluation of the Control Act, its problems, and some possible solutions, refer to www.steroidlaw.com. Those with responsible and informed commentary on the content of this article should feel free to contact me by e-mail.

posted July 09, 2000 01:07 AM            

Remember, we are the gov't and as one of the Founding Fathers stated: It is the right of the people to have a revolution." I believe John Adams said that. Remember, we are the true power in this country.

Just think about this, what if we decided not to pay our taxes. The government has no way to go to the homes of 300 million Americans and get "their" money. We would shut the "gov't" down and have them at our mercy.

So, let us fight for what we believe is right and righteous.

Chesty

------------------
SEMPER FI
Chestys Homeworld

posted July 09, 2000 10:31 AM            

------------------
Jeff

Don't look back, life is too short