Should All Bodybuilding Supplements Be Allowed Ben Johnson is more than the man who broke the 100-meter dash in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was the first athlete to have his gold medal taken away for testing positive for bodybuilding supplements (Stanazolol). His public humiliation brought to the attention of the US Congress two things: steroid use among armature and professional athletes and high school student steroid use. Subsequent to hearings, the US Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990. This act added anabolic steroids to the federal schedule of controlled substances.
Criminalizing their non-medical use by those seeking muscle growth for athletic and or cosmetic enhancement. It places anabolic steroids in the same legal class as amphetamines, opiates, cocaine and heroin. Though the health risks weighed by Congress in their decision for inclusion is not part of the criteria for scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act. [1] Medical representatives from
he Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the American Medical Association all testified before congress and protested the categorization of anabolic steroids as a class III narcotic. It would seem that the main reason for the inclusion of anabolics, stems from the Congressional desire to rid competitive athletic events of steroids.[2] To date there exists no medical evidence to warrant the scheduling of anabolics as a class III narcotic. Anabolic Steroids should not be illegal for private consumption by healthy adults under the supervision of a physician.
However great the potential health risks that excessive and unsupervised anabolic steroid use may be, it is of no relevance, according to the criteria for controlled substances. It is however a socially accepted basis for the enforcement of this legislation. Yet the widely held belief that anabolic steroids are unhealthy is medically unfounded. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported "Neither mood nor behavior was altered in any group" as publicized by the press and the US Congress. [3] This study
also presented evidence that there were no physical side effects to the use of anabolic steroids.
If the basis for categorization were health issues, than cigarettes and alcohol would greatly outnumber the deaths and sicknesses of
bodybuilding supplements users. I agree that the use of anabolic steroids can be harmful to ones health, especially when not prescribed and moderated by a physician but it is currently illegal for that physician to prescribe to healthy adults anabolic steroids for the purpose of personal enhancement. Yet, it is not illegal for that same physician to perform other procedures for personal enhancement, such as liposuction and augmentation of various body parts. All of which have the same overall goal. Personal enhancement. Surgery however is much more radical and presents more complications with anesthesia and post-surgical infections.
The laws of this country were changed when prohibition was shown to be ineffective, allowing for the legal consumption of alcohol by adults. Why should anabolic steroids be any different?
There are those that will argue that we need to protect our youth from anabolic steroids. The actions of Congress have had an even worse effect on our youth than anabolic steroids could have. A black market of low quality steroids now prevails. A market of animal steroids of unregulated quality and fakes of unknown contents are readily available to our youth. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution concluded that the tougher laws and enforcement "have fueled thriving counterfeit operations that pose even more severe health risks." [4] Clearly banning them has not had the effect that Congress intended. Legalizing anabolic steroids would eradicate the black market and remove the harmful potential that home made veterinary-based steroids present. If it were as simple as making them illegal, than why not cigarettes and alcohol? Cigarettes and alcohol pose a greater health risk to our teens than anabolic steroids.
While the ethical issue of athletes using anabolic steroids to gain an unfair advantage is a valid issue. It is not sufficient to deny all healthy adults who wish to use anabolic steroids under the supervision of physician, the constitutional right to do so. Drug testing is now a part of almost all professional athletics. MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAA and the Olympics all have banned steroids, and test for them regularly. The repercussions for use of steroids are severe and swift. The stigma associated with testing positive is perhaps worse then the financial fines. Being labeled a cheater and having your victories termed hollow are powerfully humiliating, just ask Ben Johnson.
I agree that anabolic steroids pose a potentially serious health risk. All medications when self-administered pose a serious health risk. Ignoring the medical evidence that when regulated and moderated by a physician, anabolics are safe, the Congress of the United States has imposed its illegal moral opinion on the people of America.
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