Last week, at Calhoun High School in Georgia, a student was arrested after his car was searched and anabolic steroids and paraphernalia were found on school grounds.  The student’s school was notified, his parents had to get him out of police custody, and the Department of Child and Family Resources was notified. 

In other words, this student is in a whole lot of trouble.  The school may take significant disciplinary actions against the student for having drugs on campus and the state may prosecute the student for selling drugs.  Both of these actions could remain on the student’s permanent record and affect his ability to get into college or obtain employment in the future.  Likely the few bucks that he made from selling steroids were not worth the long term price he may pay.

The anti-steroids talk is particularly important if your child is an athlete.  It is important for you to explain to your child that:

• Steroids are dangerous drugs;
• Steroid use, without a doctor’s prescription, is illegal in the United States;
• The risks of steroids are not worth any potential benefits;
• Taking steroids is cheating;
• You are proud of their athletic achievements; and
• You are available to help them with their athletic training in any legal and safe way that you can.

Steroids can cause serious physical and emotional problems for users.  Do not let your teenager suffer unnecessarily.  Instead, teach your child that steroid use is illegal in the United States, unacceptable in your home, and dangerous for your child.

Some people do not recognize the potential serious side effects of steroids and decide to illegally use these drugs. You might suspect that your friend is taking steroids if:

• There is a dramatic change in his or her appearance.  They may appear stronger and better built without putting in long gym hours, for example;
• There is a dramatic change in athletic ability.  If your friend hit only a few home runs last year but is continuously hitting the ball out of the park this year then there is a potential problem; or
• There is a dramatic change in behavior.  If your friend is uncharacteristically irritable or aggressive then that may also be a sign of steroid use.

If you suspect that your friend is on steroids then it is important to get your friend help before your friend suffers a serious medical side effect from these illegal drugs.  You might decide to talk to your friend and try to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation.  If that doesn’t work then try going to a trusted third party such as a parent, guidance counselor, or doctor. You will sleep better at night knowing that you have potentially saved your friend’s life.

After winning the coveted championship, Juan Dixon set out to embark on a career in the NBA.  In the next few years he played for Washington, Portland, Toronto and Detroit.

In 2010, he was set to play for the Spanish basketball team, Unicaja, based in Malaga, Spain.  However, he will not be playing this season – or in the near future.  The International Basketball Federation has suspended him indefinitely and until further notice because he tested positive for the illegal steroid, nandrolone.

What caused the former college star to succumb to steroids? Was he frustrated with his NBA experience?  Did he think steroids could help him take back control of his career?

If he did, then he took a gamble and he lost.  Steroids are not worth the medical, nor the professional risks, associated with them and Mr. Dixon might have had a greater chance of success by excelling in the European league on his own merits.

Just ask Scott Cohen.  He spent $2 million of his own money to run in the primary race for Illinois Lieutenant Governor.  Earlier this month, the people of Illinois voted for him to become the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Then, the stories of his past began to surface.  There were stories of abuse and stories of unpaid child support.  There were also stories of steroid abuse.  Specifically, that Mr. Cohen injected anabolic steroids without a doctor’s prescription.

So, just 5 days after his victory in the primary, Mr. Cohen was faced with the difficult decision to end his race for Lieutenant Governor.  His past had finally caught up with him and the politicians, and people, of Illinois pressured him to withdraw from the race that he spent so much money, time and effort trying to win.

What happened to Scott Cohen is a good lesson for all of us.  You never know what job or public office you are going to want down the road or how your past steroid use will affect your chances of getting that job or holding that office.  Therefore, it is important to stay away from anabolic steroids, despite their prevalence and the ease with which you can obtain them.  They are dangerous to your health – and to your future.

This year those responsible for enforcing the no steroids rule are looking for new sophisticated ways in which athletes may try and cheat in order to win.  In past years, athletes have created “designer” steroids that escape testing – at least at first.

Every athlete spends years in intense training in preparation for the Winter Olympics.  Is taking steroids worth the risk?  Is it worth it to make the kind of sacrifices and participate in the dedicated training necessary to be an Olympian and then to have your medal win rendered worthless by steroids? 

This question is not unique to Olympians.  Every athlete – from middle school to the Olympics – should be asking themselves the same questions.  Despite the prevalence of steroids, steroids can ruin your health, your reputation and your future. 

This year, we hope that the Winter Olympians set a good example and show the world what can be accomplished with hard work and dedication – and without steroids.  Enjoy the Games!

Are Steroids Legal in the United States?

Steroids are only legal in the United States with a doctor’s prescription.  The importance of the last part of that sentence “with a doctor’s prescription” should not be underestimated.  There are more than 100 anabolic steroids that are available to cure or treat legitimate medical issues.  However, when the steroids are not used pursuant to a doctor’s prescription they are illegal and they can be dangerous.

Where do Illegal Steroids Come From?

Steroids obtained without a doctor’s prescription can be obtained from other countries or from people who sell steroids after obtaining a prescription in the United States.  It is illegal to purchase anabolic steroids on the street or on the internet without a doctor’s prescription.

What is the Potential Sentence for Anabolic Steroid Charges?

In most states both the sale of anabolic steroids and the possession of anabolic steroids are felony crimes.  That means that if you are convicted of selling or possessing anabolic steroids that you may face significant fines and jail time.  You will likely be required to admit to being convicted of a felony on future job applications and the impact of the conviction can follow you for the rest of your life.

We hope that the answers to these questions were helpful to you.  If you have any other questions about the legality of steroid use in the U.S. please leave us a comment and we’ll do our best to answer your question in a future post.

Dietary supplements are promoted as legal and safe ways to increase athletic prowess or physical appearance.  Current law allows dietary supplements to enter the U.S. marketplace and be sold in stores and online without first obtaining approval from the FDA.  The proposed law would require dietary supplement facilities to register with the FDA, to identify of all their products and product ingredients, to report more adverse affects to the FDA and to keep better records.  The only ingredients that could be included in dietary supplements would be those that are on a list approved by the FDA, under the proposed law.

Many groups have already come out in support of this bill including the U.S. Anti Doping Agency, the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the U.S. Olympic Committee, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and many individual Olympians and professional sports players. 

What do you think?  If enacted, will the proposed law adequately protect people from the dietary supplements that contain illegal steroids?

Now, there may be a new, equally serious health problem, associated with steroid use.  Last month, a former NFL doctor testified before Congress about the potential link between steroids and brain problems such as dementia.  Specifically, Dr. Ira Casson told Congress that more research is necessary to determine the, “long-term effects of use of performance-enhancing drugs on brain pathology.”

While Dr. Casson was discussing steroid use among football players, his allegations raise serious concerns about steroid use in teenagers.  Could steroids affect the brains of teenagers and make them more likely to suffer from wild mood swings and dementia?

We simply do not know the answer to that question.  What we do know is that steroids are relatively easy to purchase over the internet and many teenagers only see the potential benefits of steroid use while ignoring the serious medical risks.  Teenagers, and others, should refrain from using steroids because of all of the known, and unknown medical risks.

While the IHSA’s formal report for the fall 2009 season has not yet been released, the IHSA did make the above figures known to the media to dispel rumors that Maine South football players had failed the test.

It is unclear how Illinois high school steroid testing will proceed this spring.  IHSA officials claim that there is not enough money in the budget to complete the testing required by a new Illinois law signed by Governor Quinn last summer.  The law is meant to catch, and punish, student athletes who use steroids and it is meant to deter student athletes from using steroids. Now, perhaps, there is a third reason for mandatory testing – to clear the names of athletes who competed competitively without the help of steroids.  Now Maine South can enjoy the victory of their Class 8A football championship and prove to the community that their success came without the help of performance enhancing drugs.