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06/04/09
Every steroid law in existence today is based upon a single law - the Steroid Control Act of 1990. It used to be drug stores offered readily available steroids for anyone with a prescription, which were fairly easy to obtain from a physician. Bodybuilders would keep bottles containing hundreds of D-Bol tablets in their gym lockers, readily sharing with their training partners before and after workouts. Not anymore!
Why did this law ever come into existence? Why were steroids suddenly demonized and banned after decades of relatively safe and unnoticed use? The media holds the answer. In the mid-1980s, Congressional hearings were held in response to the rising use of steroids in professional sports, and subsequent use by teenage athletes. Most people knew that professional athletes and weightlifters used steroids, and it wasn’t a major concern. However, as the salaries and revenues rose for playing professional sports, children began using. This led to the cascade of events which resulted in steroids being banned for use today.
Today, anabolic steroids are held in the same legal category as cocaine or heroin. These drugs are viewed as highly dangerous, despite the fact that many groups - including the FDA - actually disagreed with Congress. The 1990 Steroid Control Act made them illegal, making them illegal for users today. The result of this act was that many people in high school did stop using steroids – but that many people continued their use through illegal means. Instead of purchasing their steroids through their doctor, they now send their cash overseas to illegal manufacturing plants. This means our country began losing dollars and valuable tax revenues. The drugs these users receive may be of lesser quality – or even contain dangerous compounds. This helps lead to spikes in health care costs in America, as many people walk into emergency rooms each year bearing side effects of illicit use of impure compounds, resulting in internal injury or external abscesses.
Purchasing online from domestic sources is risky and stupid. May 2009 saw a rash of steroid dealers arrested for selling illegal drugs in gyms and online, and the resulting client arrests will cascade across the industry for months to come. Prominent top national level competitors, established professional bodybuilders, and even judges were caught in the first net, and it’s very likely the next round of arrests will include many gym rats and professionals such as doctors and lawyers from around the country.
Today’s users must learn to work around the limitations presented by this law. There are still ways to obtain steroids legally through the use of a physician. Establish a low level of blood testosterone, then visit the doctor. Your depressed levels will be enough to get a prescription for testosterone gel or patches. If you can provide evidence to your doctor that these are ineffective, he’ll likely move you up to low-dose testosterone shots of 200 to 600 mg per week. This should be adequate for most bodybuilders’ needs, provided you’re not already 250 pounds and highly muscular.
Today’s bodybuilder needs to be cognizant of steroid laws and do everything possible to stay on the right side of the law, no matter how much they may disagree with it.
