This Act identified anabolic steroids as a separate drug class and categorized over two dozen drugs as controlled substances. The Act also gave a four-part definition of this drug class, which allowed for flexibility in controlling new anabolic steroids as they were synthesized.
In , Congress enacted the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of , which banned over-the-counter steroid precursors; increased penalties for making, selling, or possessing illegal steroid precursors; and provided funds for preventative educational efforts.
First, doping threatens the health of athletes. Musburger argues that with proper medical supervision, steroids can be healthy. While this might be true in some and I would suggest limited cases, it would certainly not be true in all cases. The use of steroids can have serious health repercussions, including affected liver, endocrine, and reproductive function, tumors of the liver and kidneys, heart conditions, and psychiatric symptoms.
Additionally, the article just linked goes on to mention the increased probability of side effects when 1 steroids are used more than the recommended dose, 2 steroids are used in conjunction with other performance enhancing substances, and 3 counterfeit or tainted steroids are used. Legalizing steroid use would not solve these problems. The side effects listed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information a part of the National Institute of Health article are not restricted to improper use of steroids.
I will not detail out the side effects of not only steroids, but also the use of hGH and EPO often used in cycling , the NCBI does a nice job of listing those and providing citations to studies. Second, and unaddressed by Musburger, doping affects the integrity of sport. Sport is not about simply winning. The Olympic Movement identifies the Olympic spirit — mutual understanding, spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play — as fundamental to sport.
The World Anti-Doping Agency WADA was founded on the principle that integrity of sport is fundamental to the spirit of sport, and that integrity is threatened by doping. Permitting the use of steroids under proper medical supervision would threaten the fairness and integrity of the game.
First, athletes who choose not to use steroids are at an unfair advantage — most will be unable to compete at the same level as athletes who are using steroids. Thus, steroid use is contrary to the spirit of sport — fairness, respect, and solidarity. The concept of mutual respect between competitors is thwarted when one or both athletes would rather use steroids to improve his or her performance than compete based on individual strength, skill, or talent.
Law students, and indeed lawyers, are fond of the slippery slope argument. I think it finds a comfortable place in this debate. Where is the line to be drawn? Will it now be illegal to use steroids only if taken without proper medical supervision? How can proper medical supervision be proven? How does an athlete prove that the steroids in his or her body were as a result of proper medical supervision and not other means? What about athletes who use more than the recommended dose?
What about other forms of doping hGh or EPO? Are those next to be permitted under proper medical supervision? The only way to preserve integrity in sport and protect the health of athletes is through a serious anti-doping approach. Although a long way from perfect, WADA has created the most comprehensive anti-doping program in the world indeed the only anti-doping program most of the world outside of the US models and implements.
American professional sports leagues should be looking at ways to model the WADA code in its own anti-doping policies like the United States Anti-Doping Agency is doing , not seeking ways to excuse steroid use or compromise anti-doping efforts. Steroids have no place in sports. What about medical technology that repairs worn-out human parts? How many athletes have had joint repairs? Adding another risk on top of that is simply another dangerous choice made. Many people have been the beneficiaries of using illegal steroids.
In baseball, it has made many owners and players very rich. The idea that no one knew players were using steroids and PEDs is preposterous. They all knew and chose to get rich rather than protect the integrity of the sport.
Likewise, in cycling doping made many riders rich. These same routes are used for purposes of abusing steroids, with injection and oral administration being the most common.
People abusing steroids may take anywhere from 1 to upwards of a times normal therapeutic doses of anabolic steroids. This often includes taking two or more steroids concurrently, a practice called "stacking. This practice is called "cycling. Doses of anabolic steroids used will depend on the particular objectives of the steroid user. Athletes middle or high school, college, professional, and Olympic usually take steroids for a limited period of time to achieve a particular goal. Others such as bodybuilders, law enforcement officers, fitness buffs, and body guards usually take steroids for extended periods of time.
The length of time that steroids stay in the body varies from a couple of days to more than 12 months. There is increasing concern regarding possible serious health problems that are associated with the abuse of steroids, including both short-term and long-term side effects.
The short-term adverse physical effects of anabolic steroid abuse are fairly well known. Short-term side effects may include sexual and reproductive disorders, fluid retention, and severe acne. The short-term side effects in men are reversible with discontinuation of steroid use. Masculinizing effects seen in women, such as deepening of the voice, body and facial hair growth, enlarged clitoris, and baldness are not reversible.
The long-term adverse physical effects of anabolic steroid abuse in men and in women, other than masculinizing effects, have not been studied, and as such, are not known. However, it is speculated that possible long-term effects may include adverse cardiovascular effects such as heart damage and stroke.
Under this legislation, anabolic steroids are defined as any drug or hormonal substance chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone other than estrogens, progestins, and corticosteroids that promotes muscle growth.
The possession or sale of anabolic steroids without a valid prescription is illegal. The simple fact is that any recent player inducted to the Hall of Fame will enter under a veil of suspicion and uncertainty, regardless of what evidence exists. If PEDs are made legal in professional sports, then suspicion would no longer need apply and the best players would be fairly rewarded for their on-field performances.
Synthetically-inflated statistics may no longer be comparable to historical records but, while it's nice to look back on what players accomplished decades ago, it's important to note that historical statistics are already antiquated. Baseball has changed over time, so records set by Babe Ruth or Roger Maris are obsolete. Rule changes radically modified baseball at the end of the dead-ball era, and the talent pool widened considerably when the league was racially integrated in the s.
Hitters gained a huge advantage when the mound was lowered five inches in , and nutrition and training regimens have turned modern baseball players into physical specimens that were unheard of decades ago. Simply put, professional sports have evolved so much over the years that it's mostly nonsense to directly compare statistics across eras, regardless of steroid use.
Athletes are going to take steroids and turn to doping regardless of the rules. Drug use in cycling is seemingly as old as the sport itself, and baseball players have tried to cut corners wherever possible, whether it be with spit balls, corked bats, stimulants or steroids. It doesn't justify the actions of Armstrong, Cabrera or Colon - they knew the rules and chose to break them - but the current system has continually failed to establish a level playing field for the world's most talented athletes.
Legalizing steroids, doping and other performance enhancers would finally set an even bar, and that would just be the first of many benefits. Follow me on Twitter. This is a BETA experience.
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