Anabolic Steroids: Great For Muscle Building And Fat Loss, But Are You Aware Of Steroid Laws

In this article, Bob Howard, the expert on bodybuilding and steroids is writing about the steroid abuse and the steroid laws.

Ask the average “Joe or Jill” citizen what anabolic steroids are and they’ll say that these are vile and deadly drugs only used by the depraved of society. The use of these drugs by legal-aged adults for muscle building and fat loss is routinely labeled “drug abuse” and not surprisingly thanks to the influence of the mainstream media, the average American puts steroid users into the same degenerate group as heroin or cocaine users. Then you have overzealous and politically motivated law enforcement agents and prosecutors who add to the problem by cracking down hard on these “dangers of society.”

Until the late 1980’s obtaining these drugs for muscle building and fat loss was relatively cheap, easy, and safe. Simply make contact with someone at your local gym and for less than $100 you had a 6 to 8 week supply of the drugs. But with Ben Johnson’s much-publicized positive drug test at the 1988 Olympics, combined with the reclassifying of anabolic steroids as controlled substances in 1990, it’s not surprising that they became part of the drug war in 1990.

Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990

The Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 added anabolic steroids to the federal list of controlled substances, thereby making the possession of steroids for non-medical purposes, a criminal offence. The Act essentially put the drugs in the same legal class as such other street drugs as heroin, cocaine, and barbiturates. Individuals caught illegally possessing anabolic drugs - even for purely personal use - face immediate arrest and prosecution. Also under this Act, it is unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess these drugs for fat loss or muscle building unless they were obtained directly by a prescription from a medical doctor. Other subsections of the act include:

O A first offense simple possession conviction is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to one year and/or a minimum fine of $1,000.

O Simple possession by a person with a previous conviction for certain offenses, including any drug or narcotic crimes, must get imprisonment of at least 15 days and up to two years, and a minimum fine of $2,500.

O Individuals with two or more such previous convictions face imprisonment of not less than 90 days but not more than three years, and a minimum fine of $5,000.

O Distributing or possessing them with intent to distribute, is a federal felony.

O An individual who distributes or dispenses anabolic steroids, or possesses with intent to distribute or dispense, is punishable by up to five years in prison (with at least two additional years of supervised release) and/or a $250,000 fine ($1,000,000 if the defendant is other than an individual). Penalties are higher for repeat offenders.

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and steroids. Are you looking for more of his anabolic steroids articles? steroids Article. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Howard