Peer Review

In our society, personal appearance plays a very important role and go to great lengths to perfect their bodies. Among many other methods, Anabolic Steroid use has become extremely popular, but remain illegal for recreational use nonetheless. The Average steroid user is not your common drug addict; however, the law will deal with him as such. As well as this obtaining, regulated anabolic steroids from a medical professional has become almost impossible paving way for unregulated medication being sold and used without and medical supervision. This report will demonstrate that prohibiting anabolic steroid only does not solve the problem, rather makes them more dangerous.

Anabolic Steroids consist mainly of synthesized testosterone, a male hormone, responsible for muscle growth. It was used to treat males who did not produce enough testosterone to develop properly. After World War II it began to be used to increase muscle mass. Until the 1970’s steroids where widely used by Olympic athletes, in 1975 the Olympic banned them and in 1988 they became federally regulated under the Anti- Drug Abuse Act. The U.S still allows Anabolic steroids for the use of muscle regeneration and testosterone deficiencies. In the United States, steroid use for gaining muscle or perfecting your appearance is punishable by the law, but that does not mean people have stopped using them for that purpose. This has created several problems: It has created a black market that sells non-FDA approved Anabolic steroid either made in a lab or illegally imported from other countries. Additionally, these steroids are being consumed with no medical supervision. This could mean improper dosing, ignoring preexisting conditions, and appropriate level of monitoring. These could lead to the Dangerous side effects the government associates with anabolic steroid use. Steroid users are also in constant danger of running into problems with the law. Most steroid users are not your average drug users and do not belong crowding up our prisons. Legalizing Anabolic steroids would greatly reduce the adverse effects and addictions caused by unsupervised use of unregulated steroids.

The objective of my report is to prove that unless the obsession with personal appearance goes away, prohibiting steroid use is not effective and only exacerbates the danger of anabolic steroids use. This report should be used to petition the governments restrictions on anabolic steroids.

Since Anabolic steroids are illegal in the US, there is very little research done here. Therefore, I will need to analyze multiple studies done outside of the US before drawing my conclusions. I will be gathering information from multiple credible websites that are not biased towards one opinion. I will be using statistics regarding anabolic steroid use compared to other over the counter medication and facts concerning the creation of the laws meant to combat steroid use, to strengthen my argument. I will also talk about common concerns and myths regarding anabolic steroid use to strengthen my arguments.

This is an important problem to address because if used correctly Anabolic steroids produce incredible results but if misused or used under the wrong supervision can cause adverse side effects. I believe the probation of Anabolic steroid leads to their misuse of them leading to their fatal side effects. If people could consult their doctors and have a supervised prescription it would only benefit everybody. People who use steroids are going to obtain them one way or the other, and this is an issue with this generations obsession with personal appearance.

I am not disputing the morality of anabolic steroid use in professional sports, athletes still need to adhere to the rules set by their leagues. But rather the contention that Anabolic steroids are anymore dangerous then the non- FDA approved supplements at your local vitamin shop or the over the counter medication you are treating yourself with. Most medication if taken without supervision and in unregulated dosages will cause adverse effects. Why then does taking anabolic steroids make you a criminal? Anabolic steroids are not a short cut; they are a means to getting your body to where you want it to be. If plastic surgery is legal, which has its known risks then why shouldn’t anabolic steroids be? The government is not to blame for the increased demand in anabolic steroids, this is all to do with this generations obsession with a perfect body. You can attribute this to music, movies, fashion etc. but the fact remains that people will go to great lengths to perfect their bodies, and the way to combat this is to change the trend rather than prohibit the use of anabolic steroids.

The next step in writing my repot is to do the research, find the sources and connect my contentions with evidence. I will discuss the history of Anabolic steroids and their origin. I will discuss their legal status throughout the history after their creation and the reasons of the prohibition. I will discuss the dangers of many of the drugs the federal government deems safe for our consumption and connect them with the dangers of anabolic steroids. I will also briefly discuss the social repercussions of supporting anabolic steroids and why it has become this way. If I can I would love to have an interview with somebody at my gym who has used steroids in the past, but because of the social stigma related to their use I may have trouble finding somebody that will openly talk about it. I will conclude my report with my own proposed solution to the health risks associated with anabolic steroids.