Steroids

The term steroids represents a broad class of either naturally occurring or manmade chemical compounds. Although different types of steroids are made by the human body, which serve a myriad of physiologic functions, it is anabolic steroids that have both become popular among athletes and body-builders, as well as adolescents, young adults, and others. Such chemicals have become subject to federal regulation in the United States as well as several other countries. Use of anabolic steroids escalated from the 1940s through the 1970s, especially in competitive sports.

In 1975 the International Olympic Committee added such steroids to its list of banned substances. In 1988 the 100-meter Olympic champion Ben Johnson lost his gold medal after an anabolic steroid, stanozolol, was detected in his urine. This highly publicized event precipitated additional concerns that resulted in the passage of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 in the United States. Anabolic steroids were made Schedule III by federal law.

In 2004 President Bush signed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004. This added 26 anabolic steroids to the Schedule III classification. Presently, simple possession for personal use, manufacture, or trafficking of anabolic steroids is a federal crime in the United States that can result in extended imprisonment. Different countries have employed various degrees of punishment for criminal convictions in and around anabolic steroids. For example, Mexico does not regulate such compounds and they are commonly available without a medical doctor's prescription.

The position of medical as well as other experts on the topic of anabolic steroids has dramatically evolved during the past several decades. In the 1980s, there was not widespread consensus that such chemicals are addictive. In contrast, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) presently asserts that anabolic steroid use can become addictive. It order to substantiate this, NIDA asserts steroid users spend much time obtaining and using the chemicals, users continue use in spite of medical and social problems caused by the substance, and such users experience withdrawal upon discontinuation of the steroids.