Media and goverment rhetoric constantly refers to and deals with AS as "drugs". Now drugs imply all the narcotics etc, so when the media run a story on "drugs in sport", well how is that going to affect public perceptions?

AS are, basically, just synthetic hormones (well, good enough anyway). Consider the difference in impact on the public - and subsequently on the courts etc - of the following...

A) "Mr X tested positive to a banned drug. His friend was arrested for distributing drugs to be used by athletes. His sister was a runner and was proved to be a drug cheat"

B) "Mr X tested positive to elevated hormonal levels. His friend was arrested for distributing artificial hormones to be used by athletes. His sister was a runner and was proved to be a hormone user."