Steroid Laws

Unless you’ve been living in under a rock completely oblivious to the world around you then you know the various steroid laws can often be very strict. While steroid laws vary greatly from country to country in the United States they are some of the strictest of all but at the same time there are many things many do not fully understand. Many performance enhancers have a skewed view of the law and while this may be due and born out of a desire to feel safe and even justified “feelings” do not change reality. What we have provided you hear is a basis of understanding and if performance enhancing is something you are a part of or even considering you are strongly encouraged to take notice as failure to understand the steroid laws is not a defense that will save you.

The Basis & Origin of Steroid Laws:

In the United States each state has its own steroid laws but such legislation is not above federal steroid laws enacted under the Controlled Substances Act of 1990 and reinforced under the Controlled Substances Act of 2004. In the U.S. anabolic androgenic steroids are not outright illegal as many people think; they are controlled substances and there is an important difference. As controlled substances anabolic androgenic steroids are classified as Schedule III drugs in the same light as barbiturates and LSD precursors.

Understanding Control of Schedule III:

As Schedule III controlled substances anabolic androgenic steroids are legal with a prescription; that is correct, with a valid prescription one is legally permitted to use anabolic androgenic steroids with testosterone being the most commonly prescribed. Under the various steroid laws in order to obtain such a prescription one must have a valid medical purpose, there must be a medical need for the prescription. As testosterone is the most commonly prescribed anabolic steroid the most common reason for its use in a legal sense is in the treatment of Hypogonadism (Low Testosterone) or Andropause (total androgen suppression.) These are not the only reasons anabolic androgenic steroids might be prescribed; many who suffer from various diseases of a muscle wasting nature and burn victims are often prescribed them as well.

The Myth & Lie:

In the performance enhancing world there is a very common myth and lie that has prevailed for years regarding steroid laws and it is extremely dangerous to say the least. The lie is simple; many performance enhancers believe that personal use is not a serious offense when in-fact it is a felony charge in almost all cases. The steroid laws of the United States are very specific and extremely clear; you must have a valid medical prescription to possess anabolic androgenic steroids and you must have a valid medical purpose to obtain such a prescription; performance enhancement does not meet this requirement. We may disagree with the justifications of this law and that is fine, fortunately in the U.S. we still possess the right to disagree but that does not change the reality of the law.

Failure to Comply:

Failure to comply with the steroid laws of the United States can bring about horrific consequences negatively affecting the rest of your life to a strong degree. Breaking of the law can result in heavy fines, jail time, lengthy probation and even a permanent felony record and all are possible even for a first time offender. Of course the leniency of the court will vary from state to state and an individual who has no prior record will generally stand a better chance during a first offense case but there are cases where the court chooses to make an example out of an individual and it’s not as uncommon as you may think. Of course then we must consider those who are repeat offenders and those who sell anabolic steroids and the penalties can be far more severe but this brings us to a very important point. In many states personal possession is very hard to define and it is not uncommon for an individual to be charged as a dealer if he has enough on him even if he wasn’t dealing at all.

The Bottom Line:

In the end a strong case and solid arguments of injustice can be made against the steroid laws of the United States; when we examine the Controlled Substances Acts we find they have very little basis and like many other drug laws carry with them no medical or lawful support in-which such laws are supposed to exist. The Controlled Substances Acts are a bit of an anomaly in U.S. law as there is truly nothing else like them yet they still remain the law regardless of right or wrong. This is very important to remember; right or wrong the law is the law and failure to comply can often carry serious consequence. If you are going to take part in performance you need to understand this and if you choose to take part and trouble comes to you then you need to take responsibility for it on your own. However, this does not mean the law cannot change and one day it very well may change and performance enhancers who truly desire a world where they may peacefully supplement with anabolic steroids have it within them to see such a change if the proper course of action is taken. Complaining about it is not enough, crying and saying “it’s not fair” is not enough and only makes you sound like a baby. If it’s important to you begin doing something about it, learn how to educate people on the subject, learn how to speak objectively yet free from emotional speech and present your arguments with grace. While it may sound corny and without hope if it is important to you call your congressman, call your senators and begin doing something about it; there’s nothing against the law about standing up and fighting for something you believe in; we are still free to voice our opinions and before you say it’s not important to you remember, you’ve read this far so it must be somewhat important and if you’re a performance enhancer then it affects you.

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