Congress approves ban on steroid precursors

[optimusx]

http://www.netrition.com/cgi/news.cg...041009121300_0

Well.. it was bound to happen one day. For all those people who use ProHormones, your days are now numbered. Apparently ProHormones are bad, just like Steroids. I always found it ironic that when steroids were classified as a controlled substance, congress gave more weight to Coaches and the like who said Steroids would be determental to the sport because it would give unfair advantages to players and that people would loose faith in the players. On the flip side, doctors and lawyers informed them that Steroids did not meet the requirements to be catagorized as a controlled substance. (Reference Legal Muscle by Rick Collins, JD).

Here's the article about the ban on steroid precursors for the folks who are too lazy to click the link....

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WASHINGTON, Oct 09, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Congress has approved legislation to block the sale of steroid precursors and increase penalties for anabolic steroid abuse.
The House approved the bill Friday following Senate approval earlier this week, readying it for President Bush's signature.

The move follows increased interest in steroid use among professional athletes in the wake of a federal indictment of four men on charges of illegally distributing steroids, including the personal trainer of San Francisco Giant heavy hitter Barry Bonds.

Bonds, for his part, has denied the use of such substances.

Sponsored by Sen. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., the measure would add 18 substances to the list of banned anabolic steroids, including androstenedione and tetrahydrogestrinone.

In addition, it would provide $15 million for educational programs for children about the dangers of steroid use. The legislation also directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to consider revising federal guidelines to increase penalties for the use and distribution of such substances.

Copyright: Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
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Scott

[Mdlftr]

Let me get this straight....

Congress has time to draft, and pass, legislation banning steroid precursors, but
doesn't have time (at least BEFORE the election) to handle mundane matters like:

Establishing a (much higher) debt ceiling so the U.S. gov. can borrow more money to operate

Establish any sort of energy policy that gives any hope of ending our reliance on fossil fuels.

Do anything substantive like reforming Social Security, funding state AT programs, funding school and highway construction, funding for headstart programs,....Etc. Etc. Etc.


I'd love to be on the payroll of the lobbyists that pushed this piece of legislation through! They've obviously got the knack for zeroing in on those 'crucial' issues of import to the American people! [Sarcasm alert]

Mdlftr

[optimusx]

Hehe.. what priorities? They dedicate entire comittees to listen to raving mother's who children are hurt or killed by toys... so instead of sueing toy companies for ever cent their worth, they try to create another level of micromangament by the government which will cost all tax payers more money and still get nothing done.

We live in a country where people believe that if you make a law for it, it will stop the issue. Wrong!

As far as getting more important things through I'm all for it. They spend too much time trying to dictate what people can and can't do in their own private lives that have little to no effect on the rest of the world (which in my opinion is what laws are REALLY for.. making sure your hobbies/interests don't interfere with OTHER people's privacy and right to live) Really though, when has the government soely had the public interest in mind?

But that's just my two cents.



Scott

[ethernet_jock]

so right....

I'm officially changing my allegiance to the Libertarian party today....www.lp.org .

enough of this crap. Just legalize all of it and quit spending our valuable resources trying to stop something that will never stop.

[buffdoc]

It is easy for politicians to ban pro-hormones because it is affiliated with notion of having a "war" on drugs. Everyone always supports these type of efforts in an election year. However it is bad public policy and it has been driven by that ignorant liberal senator Joe Biden who introduced the law making anabolic steroids scheduled drugs in 1992 and who continues to push this crusade. Most people don't know that when the bill to make steroids Schedule III drugs was first proposed that is was strongly opposed by DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), the AMA (American Medical Association), and all major drug companies. All warned that banning would only increase supply and increase potential harm to users as it would drive production underground and make supervised medical monitoring of these agents impractical. Now almost 10 years later all of these concerns have come to be true.

[Mdlftr]

Per BuffDoc, if banning something actually INCREASES the production and the supply, why....then Congress should BAN flu shots!!

Smart Azz two cents

Mdlftr

[optimusx]

But that would defy logic.. how could they promote that they banned flu shots? hehe.. Instead I move to reclassify them as a Schedule III drug. That way you will create an entire underground network of highly self educated flu heads that know all of the proper injection sites, correct dossage for age/weight and the best brands. Additionally I see this as a way to encourage the production of the product from foreign countries, this way a shortage never occurs again. With competative pricing arising from the fact that several manufacturers will be producting their own product (that they will boast is superior to their compeition). Is anyone seeing a downside to this?

Really though, I have to wonder if someone doesn't challenge the decision of Congress via the courts. Considering it could be said that Congress violated guidelines set down to classify drugs and by doing so violated the trust placed in them to maintain a clear public interest. By diverting from set guidelines they have also created a discrepancy in future chemical/drug evaluations. What limits are there that they will not ban Asprin if it is found that it may lead to heart or liver failure? Anywho..

I'm ranting now. that's not a good thing.. hehe...

Scott

[ethernet_jock]

I'm ranting now. that's not a good thing.. hehe...

yes it is!! because, you're absolutely 100% right.

This is a forum somewhat for guided ranting anyway - so keep on it!

[glammaman2000]

under Juan Antonio Sammaranch(sp?)the Olympic criteria for banning a drug was:a)it must improve performance;b)it must be harmful to the athlete.makes sense to me.if it does not improve performance(say,pot)but is harmful,it would not be grounds for disqualification.if it improved performance(some supplements)but was not harmful,why the hell not?under pressure,largely from the U.S.,they tested for&would disqualify any athletes using generally illegal recreational drugs(pot,coke,etc)but is there enough evidence to brand androgenic supplements harmful?Orrin Hatch(not usually one of my favorite senators)has been one of the few to stand up for the supplement industry.i suppose that androgenics are under a cloud that presents them as"cheating".we are also being"protected"from every ding-dong that gets sick after taking 20x the reccommended dose.&there is a segment of the medical community that would LOVE to force you to go to a doctor's office to get a prescription for vitamin C.

[brent]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

so right....

I'm officially changing my allegiance to the Libertarian party today....www.lp.org .

enough of this crap. Just legalize all of it and quit spending our valuable resources trying to stop something that will never stop.

I would agree, accept banning substances that I've never used is pretty low on my list of priorities. We have an administration that allowed the planes into NYC on 9/11, then sold pictures of the president to exploit the deaths of all those people. Also, the GOOP has created a host of incentives to send millions of our good jobs overseas. Bush II is the first pres since Hoover to loose jobs under his watch. So I would suggest holding your nose, and voting Democratic one last time, for economic reasons, and for your & your family's safety.

Besides, I don't believe these substances, or any other medicine is effective beyond a placebo effect. I was raised Christian Science, and have only been to a doctor for things like clearance to move to New Zealand, then later to enter & leave the US Navy. My maternal grandparents are in their 90s, and have never been to a doctor. I think a cheaper solution would be to buy a cheap bottle of aspirin, and write, "Steroids" over the label, then take one before & after your workout. That's my 2?.

[ethernet_jock]

LMFAO

and here I thought I was the only person I knew who would rather die before taking an Advil.

Sheesh...

I can't say I've never been to a doctor tho. A few auto accidents and one nasty trip down the staircase - they sort of forced me to the hopsital. Hard to fight back when you're unconscious and being carried on a back board.

LOL

[Ravemobile]

I think a lot of this regulation started because some supplement companies were not listing all the ingredients on their labels. At least one company who claimed that their protein powder was better at increasing muscle size failed to mention of list that thier protein contained pro-hormones which helped facilitate the greater increase in size. Some women who unknowingly took this protein powder ended up having some bad effects from it while some atheletes who were banned from certain pro-hormones tested positive for use when to their knowledge hadn't taken any. Really we can only blame an unregulated supplement industry for having us all miss out on pro-hormones that are really not bad when used correctly.

[glammaman2000]

i'd be happier if the FDA concentrated on stuff like;is it really 10,000 IU's of vitamin E?is it really vitamin E?&let me worry about efficacy.if i want to piss out the excess,it's my business.

[optimusx]

I always thought it was funny how some people think if you take more of something that is good for you that you'll benefit more from it... and of course companies capitalize on it..

Company A: "Now with 50% more Vitamin C"
Company B: "With Double the nutrients needed for a healthy lifestyle."
Company C: "I can do anything better than you... Triple the Vitamins of Company A and B"

Oy.. Welcome to the world.

[buffdoc]

optimusx, great insight on dosage and more being better. What I find even more unbelievable is what people will consume if something is claimed to be an ALL NATURAL supplement. You would not believe the amount of pills that people will pop on so-called natural substances! Grams and grams of ginger root, garlic oil, st. john's wart, etc. and even elemental metals like silver. Hey it is all natural, so it must be safe! I really find it suprising.

[ethernet_jock]

LMFAO... yeah... since when does "natural" mean safe and effective?

Uranium 238 is a naturally occuring substance (more common even than Silver, Mercury, Cadmium, and many others!!) that can be found in many minerals and rocks and refined into a powder-like pill-encapsulable substance.

They'd be glowing pills... but hey... it's natural right? At least you'd be able to find them easily in your gym bag, purse, car, in the dark, etc...

*snicker*

Always amazing to me what people will do to their bodies in the name of youth, fat loss, or muscle gain. It's sure to get worse before it gets better.

[BigSteve6ft3]

Actually, back in the days when radioactivity had only recently been discovered, the pseudo-scientific snake oil salemen of the day did try to push "remedies" containing radioactive materials. They were supposed to be a fountain of youth and a cure-all for a host of ailments.

I was recently at a natural hot springs spa area where, as a historical curiosity, they had framed for display an old (ca. 1920) assay of the minerals supposedly contained in the spring water. It made a big deal of all the radioactive elements the water contained -- uranium, radium, cobalt, etc. -- and made claims for their health benefits. Turns out the assay was bogus (or so they say now), with all the radioactive stuff inserted for PR purposes.

The tactic was so popular, there are even several spas named after their supposed radioactive content, such as "Radium Hot Springs" in the Canadian Rockies, south of Banff.

[optimusx]

Hmm.. interesting.. maybe that's why the place in Albany is called Radium Springs.. hehe

alas.. they closed the place down since the water is like blah and stupid kids keep getting caught in the caves underneath..