Steroids and the Law
Let me start by saying, the information below serves as a clear indicator why illegal black market anabolic steroids should be avoided. There are legal alternatives, and they are called "LEGAL STEROIDS".The below segment, entitled Steroids and the Law, discusses the legalities of steroids and steroid use by athletes as well as others. As it states, each case is different, and there is no way of knowing the outcome of any steroid or human growth hormone case individually.
With the current shadow over anabolic steroids due to the infamous overuse and abuse of steroids in baseball and other sports as of late, we felt that this was a particularly important article for our audience.
Anabolic steroids are classified as controlled substances under U.S. federal law and the laws of many states. An alleged major East Coast distributor was recently arrested and a stockpile of anabolic pharmaceuticals was reportedly recovered pursuant to a search of his residence. Further police investigations are being conducted, and other athletes are being arrested. Since the non-medical possession or sale of anabolic steroids is illegal, strength athletes must not only consider the possible health risks but also the potential legal consequences of involvement. Many athletes who self-administer anabolics have no clue as to what might happen if they were to be caught by law enforcement. This article includes general information regarding what to do if a person is investigated or arrested in connection with steroids. Whether you are merely curious about anabolics or you are presently using and/or selling them, I invite you to carefully consider the material presented here. Perhaps you will choose to use natural steroids or become “drug-free” (always the safest bet, medically and legally!). If not, at least you will know the legal risks you are facing and what to do if you find yourself in the unfortunate and serious situation of an investigation or arrest. Obviously, the best time to read this material is before you are arrested.
How am I most likely to get arrested for steroids? Probably for selling them to someone who has his own legal problems and is secretly cooperating with law enforcement. You might get a call from an old gym acquaintance asking if you can get him a few vials of steroids. A meeting will be arranged, your old pal will bring along an undercover cop, and you’ll be arrested on the spot or after a few further deals. Of course, anabolic steroid distribution is investigated in a variety of other ways. For example, monitoring news groups and chat rooms on the Internet has become a common approach of federal agents. Trying to sell or buy steroids over the Internet can be an excellent way of getting oneself arrested. It is always best to assume that anyone looking for steroids on the Internet is an undercover police agent.
Federal Postal inspectors also monitor the U.S. mails. Suspicious packages coming from overseas can be examined. Among domestic parcels, those from California and the Southwest to sites on the East Coast reportedly have a higher probability of attracting attention. Once suspicion is aroused, inspectors will investigate records of prior packages involving the points of origin or destination. If illegal drugs are found in the mail, the U.S. Postal inspectors will often arrange a “controlled delivery” of the package to the designated recipient. If the package is accepted, agents will immediately enter with a search warrant to look for additional drugs. Obviously, mailing anabolics is risky business.
What are my chances of being arrested just for personal use possession? While most steroid investigations by law enforcement target sellers, either big-time or, lately, even small-time, arrests for personal possession do occur. Often, these arrests arise out of car stops for traffic violations and the steroids are found during a search of the car. For example, I recently defended a case where a police officer found a few syringes after stopping my client for speeding and discovering he had a suspended driver’s license. In New York, the possession of hypodermic instruments is a misdemeanor, and my client was arrested on the spot. Fortunately for the client, the officer overlooked a hefty stash of anabolics which was more carefully concealed.
While the vast majority of users probably don’t get caught, you could be one of the unlucky few. Those who do get caught can suffer serious consequences. The consequences of an arrest include being handcuffed, fingerprinted, and hauled before a judge, while the effects of a criminal conviction may include preventing or interfering with future employment opportunities in many fields such as law enforcement. If you are arrested for possessing or selling steroids, the best advice is to remain silent, ask for the opportunity to contact a lawyer immediately, and answer no questions until you speak with him or her. Once you request a lawyer and refuse to talk to the police without one, the police are legally prohibited from questioning you further.
What federal laws make anabolic steroids illegal for athletes? In the mid-1980’s, media reports of the increasing use of anabolic steroids in sports came to the attention of the U.S. government. This “steroid problem” was addressed by the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990. The law applies in every federal court across the country. It places steroids in the same legal class – Schedule III -- as amphetamines, methamphetamines, opium and morphine. Simple possession of any Schedule III substance is a federal offense punishable by up to one year in prison and/or a minimum fine of $1,000. 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.
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, just for simply possessing. Selling steroids, or possessing them with intent to sell, is a federal felony. An individual who sells steroids, or possesses with intent to sell, is punishable by up to five years in prison (with at least two additional years of supervised release) and/or a $250,000 fine. An individual who commits such a violation after a prior conviction for a drug offense faces up to ten years imprisonment (with at least four additional years of special parole) and/or increased fines.
Are steroids also illegal under state laws? During 1989 and 1990, many states reclassified anabolic steroids to become controlled substances under state law. A 1991 survey of anabolic steroid state legislation found that approximately twenty-two states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas) had tightened control over steroids in the preceding two years. State laws differ as to the classification level for anabolic steroids, providing for a wide range of penalties. The states also differ in their approach to controlling anabolics. Some, such as Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas and Michigan, require the posting of notices designed for public education as to the dangers of illegal use. Further, Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas have promulgated rules as to the prescription of anabolic steroids, warning practitioners against dispensation for non-medical use. In New York State, the Public Health Law classifies anabolic steroids as controlled substances.
Possession of even a small quantity of a controlled substance can be prosecuted as a class “A” misdemeanor criminal offense under the Penal Law, punishable by up to one year in jail (although few first-time offenders are sentenced to jail time). Sale of anabolic steroids is a class “D” felony in New York, regardless of the quantity sold. In New York, “sell” is defined to include simply giving away as well as the act of offering or agreeing to sell. Sale of steroids is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Even gainfully employed, first-time offenders in many parts of New York State can serve some jail time, be placed on five years of supervision by the local probation department, and suffer the lifelong stigma of a felony drug sale conviction.
Will I be charged in state or federal court? In most states, both state and federal laws prohibit anabolic steroids, and a person can be prosecuted under either. In which court the case is brought often depends on the agency responsible for your arrest, and on the seriousness of the charges. If you are arrested by local police for simple possession (as in a car stop), you are more likely to be charged in state court. If your arrest arises out of an investigation by federal authorities (such as the DEA or U.S. Postal Inspector) or you are stopped by U.S. Customs at an international airport, you are more likely to be charged with federal crimes. This is particularly the case if the quantity is large and there is an indication of intent to distribute. In rare circumstances, you can be charged in both state and federal court with the same conduct.
Will the police try to get me to “cooperate” with them? People who get arrested for controlled substances are often pressured to work with the agents who arrested them or with other law enforcement authorities to assist in the identification, investigation, arrest and prosecution of others involved in criminal activity. Known to law enforcement as “confidential informants” (but to their former friends and associates as “rats” and “snitches”), they cooperate in return for more lenient plea or sentence bargains. It is not uncommon for the police or federal agents to squeeze the many “small fish” they arrest into giving up their sources, leading to the arrests of bigger fish who, in turn, are squeezed to give up their sources. Whether the police seek to recruit a person as an informant depends upon a combination of many factors. Deciding whether it is something an arrested person should consider doing requires a risk-to-benefit analysis and extensive consultation with an experienced criminal lawyer.
What are my chances of going to jail? A very important question, but one that is impossible to answer without knowing the specifics in a given case. Whether an individual serves any prison time at all depends upon numerous factors including but not limited to the person’s past criminal history, the strength of the prosecution’s case, the person’s role in the offense, the amounts of steroids involved, and how effectively the case is either negotiated or litigated by defense counsel. In our experience, few first-time offenders charged with mere possession for personal use are sentenced to jail in the New York state courts. Sellers are treated more harshly. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines generally mete out stiffer sentences for distributing steroids than would apply in the state courts.
An East Coast former long-term user stated: Unfortunately our society has been educated to believe that if you use steroids, you’re no different from the guy with crack cocaine, and there is a big difference. In the ‘80s, I saw so many individuals who used steroids and in some cases abused them, and these individuals went on to become doctors, lawyers, DEA agents, and various other types of law-enforcement personnel at the state and federal levels – prominent citizens for this country… And we’re not talking about 10 or 20. We’re talking about hundreds of people I’ve seen over the years… I’d say at least 90, maybe 95 percent, of the steroid-users I saw became productive citizens – just because the guys who did it in the ‘80s were trying to be the best they could be. They had that characteristic of trying to be the best, and they kept that same characteristic and applied it to other areas of their lives.
Anothr popular case involves a man who was “set up” by his former training partner to sell to him a bottle of testosterone. The transaction was orchestrated by the narcotics squad of the county police department at the taxpayers’ expense. The deal was arranged to take place in a parking lot, and immediately after the transfer, a squad of law enforcement agents surrounded my client with guns drawn and handcuffed him. As my client, a gainfully employed and respectful young man, now faces a felony conviction and jail time, the question is raised whether such police operations really reflect a sensible approach to the problem and further whether they are a prudent or appropriate use of our government’s resources. The irreparable harms caused by the Control Act and similar laws may well outweigh the health risks associated with steroid use by most young adults.
I'll end on this note. We may never fully understand exactly why anabolic steroids are illegal. To date There is no medical evidence that supports and real risks associated with sensible use. Contrary to popular belief, there has not been 1 case in medical history where an individual has died from a "steroid overdose". The media has repeatedly hyped up such cases as "Lyle Alzodo" or "Chris Benoit" attempting to make reference to a steroid connection.In fact, this has never been proven. The coroner who investigated Lyle Alzado's death,as well as Lyle Alzodo's personal physician, have both made public statements saying "they are unsure where the media came to any conclusion that anabolic steroids had any contribution to Mr. Alzado's death". My personal opinion:Sure, using steroids in competitive events where it gives you an unfair advantage may be somewhat unethical, however using steroids for cosmetic purposes should be a matter of personal choice and it's no different than tattoos, breast augmentation,or body piercings.If you're not hurting yourself or anyone else, why should it matter?
In conclusion, Legal steroids are a much safer alternative to illegal black market anabolic steroids.
Thanks For Reading !
