Is this where we are headed?  A society where the use of anabolic steroids has surpassed the use of other drugs?

If you've not read any other article that I've posted in this section, please take 5 minutes and read this article in its entirety.  Because, I believe this is where we in the US are headed.  Why?  Because as a nation, vanity and the desire to win at any cost drives our youth's behavior while at the same time we are effectively doing NOTHING to impede the growth of this growing epidemic!

Don

STEROID use is so rife in Wales, users are outnumbering junkies in using needle-exchange programmes, drug experts have warned.

Needle-exchange figures reveal that the numbers of users on body-enhancing drugs using the services has rocketed to 80% of the total in some areas.

Cheap, often fake, internet steroids are flooding the market as more and more young Welsh men attempt to take a quick, easy path towards a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Fake steroids have been known to include baby oil and drugs normally intended for bulking-up cattle.

They have also been known to cause a raft of side-effects including impotence, hair loss and the growth of “moobs” – man-breasts.

Mike Mallett of the Newport needle exchange – where nearly two-thirds of walk-in clients are steroid-users – warned that the trend was growing and that people now had “no difficulty” getting hold of dangerous drugs from the internet and dealers.

He said: “We’ve seen a steady year-on-year increase in the number of people using steroids.

“The numbers are creeping up and around 60% of our client-base here are steroid users. A large proportion of them are young males aged 18 or 19 who want to go on steroids before they have done any weight training, which can lead to long-term health problems.”

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BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Howard Balzer of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat is reporting that Ryan Tucker's retirement from the Cleveland Browns came after the offensive lineman tested positive for steroids. That would have cost the veteran 8 games next season because he had been caught once before for using banned substances.

Tucker announced he was walking away from the game on sportstalk radio WKNR saying:

"We notified the league and we are notifying the Cleveland Browns family that I'm shutting it down. It's time for me to go ahead and hang up the cleats and starting being a daddy and a husband. I'm going that route."

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/13269 

I am often asked why the police don't do more to combat the use of illegal steroids by our kids.  Surprisingly, one of the reasons just may be that cops are one of the "typical" user groups of these illegals substances.  I often hear the kids tell stories of cops and firefighters working out at the gym that are known to be using steroids.

How can we expect our law enforcement officers to be taking this issue seriously with our kids if they themselves are violating the law by using these drugs?

Don

Doctor: Cops and "Roid Rage" Don't Mix

The NYPD has issued a memo forbidding its officers from using anabolic steroids as well as 21 legal and widely available supplements at the risk of "disciplinary action" [Pdf]. Many products on the list are used to build muscle and lose weight, reports MYFOXNY. We want our cops lean and strong, so what's the problem?

According to a sports medicine expert at Beth Israel steroids, as well as some over-the-counter supplements that mimic their effects, can cause a phenomenon called "roid rage." (Remember the Hell's Kitchen boyfriend killer?) "The last thing you want a police officer having is a rage effect from a steroid that's out of their control because they may have innocently taken a supplement to work out and feel good," said the MD. There's another issue too: the supplements sometimes cause "false positives," so police could claim they were taking over-the-counter pills if pee tests showed they'd been using steroids.

Still, one retired police officer doesn't like the rule one bit, since for cops, bearing bulk is a part of the job. "I don't think it's fair to police that are trying to maintain a certain size to protect himself and his partner and the people," he said, adding that, "This is over the line, this is ridiculous."