Should steroid use be illegal?

[Tmy]

Whats the big deal? If someone is vain enough to take drugs to get all big n buff, who are we to stop them. Sure theres that whole danger thing. So what. Plastic surgery and smoking are dangerous. They are still legal.

 

[crimresearch]

Really? Plastic surgery is legal? No school, or license, or anything needed?

Or is it regulated....just like steroids?

 

[username]

Whats the big deal? If someone is vain enough to take drugs to get all big n buff, who are we to stop them. Sure theres that whole danger thing. So what. Plastic surgery and smoking are dangerous. They are still legal.

I disagree, but only partially.

I agree that it should be 100% up to the individual what they put into their bodies and it is none of the government's business. I feel this way about steroids, pot and crack.

However when we are talking about professional sports I have a different view. Steroids can give a professional athlete an advantage that non users won't have. The end result is that in the highly competetive world of professional athletics everyone will have to take steroids in order to remain competitive.

I would prefer that the professional organizations governing the various sports set their own policies rather than the federal government setting the polices, but I don't have much trust in the private governing agencies to do the right thing as they only care about what generates the most profit.

If Joe Shmoe wants to take steriods to get artifically big guns I say fine, that is his business. If Mr. Professional Athlete wants to take them to get a competetive advantage I say I dislike that as it reduces competitive athletics to whomever get's the best drugs.

 

[shecky]

Re: Re: Should steroid use be illegal?

I would prefer that the professional organizations governing the various sports set their own policies rather than the federal government setting the polices, but I don't have much trust in the private governing agencies to do the right thing as they only care about what generates the most profit.

Why shouldn't the private agencies care only about whatever generates most profits? They aren't running a charity.

And why in the world would the federal government make a better watchdog over professional sports? Why not nationalize every industry if the government is such an authority?

 

[username]

Re: Re: Re: Should steroid use be illegal?

Why shouldn't the private agencies care only about whatever generates most profits? They aren't running a charity.

I didn't say private agencies shouldn't care about profits. I also didn't say they are running charities.

And why in the world would the federal government make a better watchdog over professional sports?

Well, ummm... because they aren't motivated solely by that which makes the most money?

Why not nationalize every industry if the government is such an authority?

Because some industries are supported by people who care nothing about ethics or morality and some are supported by people who do.

For the market forces to have a restraining influence the industry needs to be supported by those who vote morally with thier dollars.

If we were to leave everything to the almighty dollar we would have a return to the gladiator rings. Why settle for fake professional wrestling when one can have a duel to the death gladiator match between death row inmates?

Why settle for tame and legal commercial porn sites at 29.95 per month when one can pay 10 bucks to see desperately poor 13 year old girls go down on each other or screw a horse live and in person?

The market forces operate on the basis of profit and only profit. In an industry where folks are willing to supply the profit without regard to morality it takes a government not concerned with profit to regulate it.

 

[shecky]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Should steroid use be illegal?

Well, ummm... because they aren't motivated solely by that which makes the most money?

So, why should the sports industry not be motivated by pure profit?

Because some industries are supported by people who care nothing about ethics or morality and some are supported by people who do.

For the market forces to have a restraining influence the industry needs to be supported by those who vote morally with thier dollars.

If we were to leave everything to the almighty dollar we would have a return to the gladiator rings. Why settle for fake professional wrestling when one can have a duel to the death gladiator match between death row inmates?

Why settle for tame and legal commercial porn sites at 29.95 per month when one can pay 10 bucks to see desperately poor 13 year old girls go down on each other or screw a horse live and in person?

The market forces operate on the basis of profit and only profit. In an industry where folks are willing to supply the profit without regard to morality it takes a government not concerned with profit to regulate it.

Operating for profit doesn't mean forcing people to do things they don't want to do. Your comparison is ridiculous.

When professional athletes are forced to kill each other, have sex with horses, or even forced to use steroids, then I'd say there's a case for govt intervention. And in fact, govt already gets involved in such circumstances.

But we're not talking about forcing anyone to do anything. We're talking about private companies and individuals making choices for themselves. Expanding the power of govt to meddle in business even more than it currently does, under the umbrella of morality seems a step in the wrong direction.

 

[crimresearch]

"But we're not talking about forcing anyone to do anything. We're talking about private companies and individuals making choices for themselves. Expanding the power of govt to meddle in business even more than it currently does, under the umbrella of morality seems a step in the wrong direction."

What does business have to do with it?

Steroids are illegal in the absence of a prescription...

How does it expand 'the power of government to meddle', to make sports, or sports business comply with the same law as everyone else?

 

[CBL4]

Steroids, like any other substance that only harms the user, should be legal.

Sports organization should ban and test for steroids but this should be their option not a government mandate. I think the profit motive would depend to a large degree on the audience.

If the organization is associated with a state run entity such as schools, the government has the right and responsibility to ban the use of steroid in order to allow everyone to compete without endangering their lives.

CBL

 

[pgwenthold]

"But we're not talking about forcing anyone to do anything. We're talking about private companies and individuals making choices for themselves. Expanding the power of govt to meddle in business even more than it currently does, under the umbrella of morality seems a step in the wrong direction."

What does business have to do with it?

Steroids are illegal in the absence of a prescription...

How does it expand 'the power of government to meddle', to make sports, or sports business comply with the same law as everyone else?

This isn't what they are doing. As you say, there are already laws against such activity, and the government is perfectly allowed to impose whatever legal penalties they want. But in this case, they are telling private businesses the penalties they must impose above and beyong the legal penalties.

If the government wants to punish steroid users, they are perfectly able to do that and no one will complain. But they are trying to tell private businesses what do with employees who break laws.

It's no different from the government requiring a business to fire someone for drunk driving. Actually, it's even worse than that. It's like the government telling a business that they need to fire someone that _they_ see drunk driving, even if the person is not arrested for doing so.

Now, I probably don't have any problem with any business who would chose to punish someone they see drunk driving (assuming it affects their potential job performance, as steroids supposedly do), but having the government _require_ that they do? That is clearly stepping over the bounds of what the government has any business doing.

 

[crimresearch]

So far, nobody has backed up the assertion that steroids are illegal.

What is illegal is using prescription medicines without a prescription.

So why stop at steroids? Tmy has already suggested that plastic surgery is comparable to steroids

Why have anylegal controls over medicine, or medical practices?

 

[CBL4]

Why have anylegal controls over medicine, or medical practices?

Different drugs have different effects on health and who they affect.

Using heroin, marijuana, steroids, etc affect only the user. If they impair the user's judgement it is reasonable to bad their use while driving, flying, etc. Otherwise, they pose no risk to the non-user and should be legal.

Indiscriminate use of antibiotics can cause a health hazard to the entire population because of the potential of breeding drug resistant bacteria. It is perfectly reasonable to require perscriptions for this type of drug.

It is also reasonable for the government to require testing for safety and effectiveness of all new drugs. It is also reasonable for the government to require purity of drugs.

CBL

 

[crimresearch]

Which brings us back to the last time this was discussed..whether or not there is such a thing as 'roid rage', and whether the people who are hurt by violent athletes, cops, or whatever, are acceptable under the heading of 'only harms the user'..

 

[El Greco]

As a pharmacist and bb I've thought and dicussed this subject extensively over the years. My personal opinion (which I'd rather not discuss once more) is that steroids should be regulated exactly like most other drugs but their use in sports should not be banned.

But this is not why I've posted here. I just want to point out that there is an amazing amount of misinformation regarding steroids, their use and abuse, and their side effects. People who make decisions about the legality og steroids (and ergogenics etc.) often give the impression that don't know their stuff too well or maybe they value too much the opinion of the uneducated public and the raving media.

This article presents a brief summary of the problems that misinformation brings. Eg:

Furthermore, Yesalis, Wright, & Bahrke, (1989) point out all of the effects of AAS have been demonstrated to be fully reversible within several months following cessation of use; except changes in in myocardium which has not been followed.

There are much more detailed articles in the subject around the net.

 

[crimresearch]

ElGreco what's your understanding on 'roid rage'? Urban myth, or covered up by the sports establishment?

 

[El Greco]

ElGreco what's your understanding on 'roid rage'? Urban myth, or covered up by the sports establishment?

I've posted some rants in this and that thread. This is by no means all I have to say, but it will suffice for our purposes.

Besides, I believe that AAS use and/or abuse will soon be a moot point (at least in as far as sports are concerned), since genetic engineering will probably deem them obsolete sooner than we think.

 

[crimresearch]

OK, I didn't see where you specifically addressed 'roid rage', but in doing a search for recent literature, I realized that the term doesn't mean what it meant in the 80s and 90s.

I wasn't asking if steroids were 'all the rage', I was asking about steroid abusers becoming violent with their domestic partners, coaches, other athletes, and in the case of law enforcement steroid users, violent with family, prisoners, suspects, and other personnel.

It isn't a subject that lends itself to easy examination, because of the problems involved in getting accurate reporting of illegal behavior.
But even a low occurence of it, would seem to make the 'steroid users only harm themselves' claim fall flat.

http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/darkes/aggression-01.htm

 

[Tmy]

Different drugs have different effects on health and who they affect.

Using heroin, marijuana, steroids, etc affect only the user. If they impair the user's judgement it is reasonable to bad their use while driving, flying, etc. Otherwise, they pose no risk to the non-user and should be legal.

Why cant you get a script for roids merely for vanity reasons. Like plastic surgery?? How would that effect others?? Arent roid rages caused by overuse? If you have a doctors supervision you wont be roid raging. Shoot why dont we just ban birth control pills, they turn some women into psyhco maniacs.

Lots of people take roids for medical reasons, how come you never hear of them ragin???

Whats really the difference tween taking roids and shooting colligyn into your lips to puff them up??

 

[crimresearch]

You mention vanity reasons...how are the cycles needed for Hulk like proportions *not* overuse?

 

[TeaBag420]

Why cant you get a script for roids merely for vanity reasons. Like plastic surgery??

Because it's a "scrip", not a "script".

In many jurisdictions in the U.S. performing surgery without a license is a misdemeanor.

Just thought the readers might like to know.

By the way, F for punctuation.

 

[Ralph]

I'm also a pharmacist and an avid lifter although I never got into the body-builing aspect of things.

Just to add to what El Greco has allready said---Anabolic steroids have always been a prescription only drug. In the past they were listed as a schedule 6 drug---same category as things like antibiotics--blood pressure meds----things that you just don't want sold over the counter but have no real abuse potential.

A number of years ago though ASs were moved from schedule 6 to schedule 3. This is in the same category as vicodin. A drug with fairly high abuse potential.

The penalties for possesion of a sch 3 drug are much more severe than a sch 6.

While I think they need to remain controlled--not sold OTC---I don't think their use warrants the kind of penalties that possesion of a sch 3 carries.

As with possesion of pot---the penalty for the crime is far too severe for the crime itself.

My other problem--& this applies more to legal prohormones that are sold otc---is the total BS that goes along with these products.

No need to do efficacy or safety studies----the claims made for most of these are total BS....

These products are sold by telling people what they want to hear--not what they will actually do.