Recently, I discussed a potential strategy for the reformation of steroid laws that has been used by drug law reformers seeking to legalizing other scheduled drugs like marijuana. In sum, instead of arguing that steroids are relatively benign drugs whose side effects have been grossly exaggerated, efforts towards reform should focus on arguing that “legalization is safer than prohibition.”
I received an email from attorney Philip Sweitzer, Esq. who strongly disagreed with this approach:
The problem with this approach is that it fails to take into account the widely disparate constitutional differences between steroids and hallucinogens/opiates, making them all part of the same “legalization” regime. Steroids should be legalized, specifically because their profile for addictive abuse is ZERO. This argument plays right into the hands of the prohibitionists, by making one issue (steroids) the same as the other (addictive opiates and non-addictive hallucinogens.) We have to get out of the “one drug is the same as any other drug” mindset, in developing public policy on drugs.
He agrees that prohibition isn’t effective, but we should never forget that anabolic steroids do not meet the traditional Control Substances Act criteria for scheduling and should never be lumped together with other Schedule III substances.
I agree with the “prohibition just doesn’t work anyway,” idea and the concept that incarceration as a tool of prohibition is a waste of tax payer money. But framing the argument around other Schedule III drugs I think buys into the notion that AAS belong there - AAS need to be OFF Schedule III.
I think he is right. While prohibition may represent bad public policy and legalization/regulation would be a better alternative, the circumstances surrounding the scheduling of anabolic-androgenic steroids are unique and deserve to be evaluated independently.
Steroid law reformers should primarily focus on repealing the Anabolic Steroid Control Act and removing them from the list of controlled substances. Regardless of feelings regarding the Controlled Substances Act and prohibition, anabolic steroids do not belong there. We should not cede this point.
The Hennepin County medical examiner has determined that amateur bodybuilder Erik Fromm died from an accidental overdose of Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a highly potent painkiller described as 80 times as strong as morphine. Fromm was in a severe car accident that resulted in severe pain.
Fromm had a serious traffic accident about a year ago in Wyoming, causing him severe pain in his lower back and in his legs and arms, said Kevin Schreifels, a friend of Fromm’s.
“He was rating the pain pretty high,” said Schreifels, a doctor at Lyn-Lake Chiropractic in Minneapolis. He said he was unaware of Fromm using fentanyl.
Chris Bell told me via email yesterday that his film was sold to a theatrical distribution company with a public announcement coming on Friday. Today, Variety broke the story early by announcing that Magnolia Pictures (co-founded by Dallas Mavericks onwer Mark Cuban) has purchased the worldwide distribution rights to Christopher Bell’s “Bigger Stornger Faster*”, a steroid documentary that critical examines steroid use in society while the filmmaker looks at steroid use by his brothers.
Magnolia plans to release muscle docu later this year theatrically to be followed by play on HDNet. Magnolia and HDNet are part of Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban’s Wagner/Cuban Companies, which also include Landmark Theaters chain and 2929 Productions.
“I love this movie!” said Mark Cuban, owner of Magnolia, Landmark Theaters, HDNET, and the Dallas Mavericks, “It’s informative, fascinating and hysterical - all the things a movie about steroids should be. You can’t miss this one if you are a sports fan.”
“Bigger, Stronger, Faster,” which will inevitably be described as reminiscent of Michael Moore because the director, Chris Bell, has a strong and humorous voice and he’s out to explore nothing less than the American dream, through the lens of the bodybuilding craze that made he and his brothers take steroids like they were candy. Since we were full up at the inn already, we squeezed it in to the Forrest at 5pm on Friday, right up against the March into March.
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are probably the least dangerous category of drugs scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) even though the medical side effects are irrelevant to the scheduling criteria of the CSA. According to the American Medical Association, they do not meet the traditional Control Substances Act criteria for scheduling. Even as the “bastard child of controlled substances,” there has been little advocacy for the reform of anabolic steroid laws.
Anabolic steroids are currently illegal for non-medical purposes such as performance enhancement or cosmetic enhancement. If you think that anabolic steroids should be legal for the purposes in adults who do not compete in sports subject to a doping code prohibiting performance enhancing drugs, you may want to consider strategies discussed by other drug law reformers.
According to Alex Coolman of the Drug Law Blog, how you frame the legalization argument is crucial:
But I agree that it’s time to move away from the argument that “we should legalize drugs because, hey, they aren’t that harmful.”
My take on the “right” approach tends to be more oriented around civil rights and the costs of using prisons as tools of social control.
Just because you believe the dangers of anabolic steroids have been exaggerated, manufactured, or overstated doesn’t make for an effective anabolic steroid legalization strategy.
Pete Guither has some advice for drug reformers at Drug War Rant. He focuses on legalization efforts for marijuana, but replace pot with steroids and the advice is equally useful.
What we need to do is show the people that legalization is safer than prohibition.
We need to convince people that marijuana prohibition is endangering their children, robbing their checkbooks, hurting their property values and causing moral decay. We need them to understand that legalizing pot will make their streets safer and eliminate poverty.
You get the idea. Self-interest.
Now that’s not so critical to you or I. We understand what’s at stake. But we forget that the rest of the population doesn’t have our knowledge. We have to shake them out of their drug policy illiteracy.
Wrong approach:
Pot isn’t very harmful. We can protect against drugged drivers. It’s not a proper law. We should legalize marijuana.
Right approach:
Pot prohibition is causing criminals to prey on your children. We must legalize and regulate it NOW to cut back on damage to our cities and our families.
The only way to motivate people enough so that they’ll go past what the government tells them they should think is to make it personal.
The government is spending a lot of money and resources in the war on steroids (as part of the overall war on drugs). What is the cost-benefit of incarcerating steroid users? Wouldn’t legalizing steroids and regulating them be a better alternative?
Former IFBB Pro bodybuilder Milos Sarcev and Rick Robinette founded Koloseum Nutritional Science (KNS) in 2006. Redux Holdingspurchased 100% of remaining shares in KNS. The acquisition by Redux Holdings has been in the works for some time. The Los Angeles Business Journal explains the role of Redux Holdings and how its holding of Naturade resulted in the acquisition of Koloseum:
Thus was born Redux Holdings Inc., which uses its penny stock to acquire assets of underperforming and distressed companies on a non-cash basis. He then leverages debt financing from investment banks and other sources to pay off creditors and rebuild the company, often employing bits and pieces of other acquisitions.
“Usually what you see in the turnaround market is people with a lot of money who would hire someone else to do the turnaround; it’s a pure financial play for them,” said Michelin, most recently a partner at Santa Monica-based restructuring firm Kibel Green Inc.
“What I wanted to do is combine the capital with the operational expertise of people who know how to turn it around, so in the end we’d have the equity.”
Michelin’s current focus is re-establishing Anaheim-based Naturade Inc., a venerable Orange County nutritional supplement maker that fell on hard times, according to regulatory filings, following mismanagement by a new owner earlier in the decade.
In January 2007, Rick Robinette came aboard Naturade (a subsidiary of Redux Holdings) while it was recovering from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. When Naturade emerged from bankruptcy in November 2007, it quickly raised $1.2 million in funding, gave significant equity stakes to Rick Robinette (who was promoted to Chief Operation Officer (COO)) and Milos Sarcev (who was retained as Chief Science Officer). Redux Holdings also acquired a 30% stake in Koloseum Nutritional Sciences.
The recent purchase completes the acquisition of KNS by Redux Holdings. What does this mean? Trey Meehan, private equity manager and venture capitalist involved with Redux Holdings offered the following analysis:
Well, here is what I think it does for the Company. First, it provides a new product line to market alongside the Naturade brand to a large network that is already in place. Naturade is in stores all across the United States (as well as some international locations) like grocery stores, natural food stores, Sam’s Clubs, vitamin stores and many more. The Naturade brand typically targets the mass audience (moms and pops of the world).
The KNS line targets athletes.
Why does it matter? Well, is there a more efficient way to introduce leading edge, proprietary, nutritional formulas into your “everyday” product line than to take it from a sister product line that already produces supplements for world class athletes.
Congratulations to Milos Sarcev, who in recent years has successfully fought an indictment on steroid charges and deflected controversy from his association with the BALCO scandal.
Elite Fitness published an article today discussing the implications of Liberty Media’s acquisition of a controlling stake in Bodybuilding.com:
Many people have already heard that the world’s largest bodybuilding company, bodybuilding.com, sold a huge controlling stake to Liberty Media, parent of QVC, for $100 million dollars. However, what some people don’t know is that there are those who are panicking for various reasons and some even believe that the sale could cause the sport of bodybuilding to die off!
I was one of the people panicking about the implications for professional bodybuilding. When there are changes in ownership, particular when a closely held private company is acquired by a publicly traded conglomerate, there are often changes in strategy and management.
So, within hours of the January 7, 2008 acquisition announcement, I contacted Ryan DeLuca, the CEO and founder of Bodybuilding.com to clear the air. DeLuca granted me an interview (which was published on Muscletime) the same day. Ryan assured me that the Bodybuilding.com strategy included increased involvement in the sport of pro bodybuilding:
[Bodybuilding.com’s involvement in pro bodybuilding] will continue to increase. We are 100% dedicated to giving back and helping the sport of bodybuilding to grow and prosper. If anything, this deal will only help us with that mission!
In spite of Ryan DeLuca’s refutations of changes in strategy as I confirmed in my Muscletime interview, Elite Fitness points out how the rumors persisted.
Strewn across Internet sites and forum boards are claims that bodybuilding.com must remove anything even remotely controversial from their site as part of the deal. That means anything to do with steroids and other hardcore bodybuilding topics must be axed in order to suit Liberty Media.
The change in the Bodybuilding.com forums that fueled many of the rumors was the relocation of the “steroid forum” to a sub-forum of the “IFBB section.”
When asked of any changes he had noticed on the site, Hawryliw said, “The biggest change I have seen was the steroid section being moved to the IFBB section. They claim it was to help to keep “noobs” (beginning users) from asking stupid questions. We all know the real reason was to take the steroid section off the front page to avoid any negative light. Ironically, steroids were prohibited from being talked about in the IFBB section before. Now, steroids are a sub-section.”
This was noticed several weeks ago by Anthony Roberts (a few days in advance of the acquisition announcement by Liberty Media).
But there is a big difference between censorship (deletion) and a reorganization of the forums of a message board. Elite Fitness further confirmed that Liberty Media has not asked Bodybuilding.com to delete controversial steroid content from their forums.
And he told me what is really going on with the issue of controversial material being moved or removed due to the Liberty Media deal mentioning, “This is not true. They have not asked us to remove anything or change anything on our site. Of course, with more national media watching what we are doing than ever before, we have to be extra careful with what we do or say so we don’t end up on Dateline.”
Unfortunately, it is not raining steroids, but at least the sky is not falling.
With all the steroid hysteria, it is not difficult to forget that anabolic steroids are legal and have therapeutic uses. Many assume it is forbidden take injectable steroids and syringes/needles on board a domestic airline in carryon luggage.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration), there is nothing illegal about taking anabolic steroids or any other injectable medication on board an airplane. Even with increased airport security, you are permitted to take an unlimited number of unused syringes as long as it is accompanied by the injectable medication.
Unlimited number of unused syringes when accompanied by insulin or other injectable medication…
Medications must be labeled so they are identifiable.
Of course, if you do not possess a valid medical prescription for anabolic steroids, you may be subject to other law enforcement action!
Also, TSA will visually examine your steroids and needles as a customer service:
Medication and related supplies are normally X-rayed. However, as a customer service, TSA now allows you the option of requesting a visual inspection of your medication and associated supplies.
You must request a visual inspection before the screening process begins; otherwise you medications and supplies will undergo X-ray inspection.
If you would like to take advantage of this option, please have you medication and associated supplies separated from your other property in a separate pouch/bag when you approach the Security Officer at the walk-through metal detector.
Anthony Roberts posted an entry in his blog about ongoing investigations resulting from Operation Raw Deal. I spoke with him on the phone and he informed me that federal agents with the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations and the Postal Inspection Service have recently made several informal “knock and talk” visits with customers (end users) who purchased steroids domestically from remailers. It appears that the feds are not targeting end steroid users (which is consistent with our sources involved in other investigations resulting from Operation Raw Deal.
Keep in mind that while Operation Raw Deal in large part crippled the steroid underground lab industry, authorities did not arrest a handful of large steroid remailers with connections to indicted UGLs. As there are still ongoing investigations, it is too soon to assume these remailers have escaped prosecution; there is the likely possibility that the feds are still building cases against them. Not everyone indicted as part of Operation Raw Deal has been sentenced leaving open the possibility that several are cooperating defendents in related cases.
Anthony Roberts tells me to expect a new series of Operation Raw Deal related steroid busts in the coming weeks. Otherwise, these remailers will likely become DEA confidential sources and informants in future federal steroid crack-downs in coming years.
Howard Levine, M.D. of Northwest Lifestyle Medicine was sentenced to almost two years in prison for dealing anabolic steroids out of his Seattle medical office. According to court documents, Levine sold approximately FIFTY - 10mL vials of anabolic steroids (including nandrolone decanoate, stanozolol, testosterone enanthate, trenbolone acetate as well as oxymetholone tablets, human growth hormone, and nandrolone decanoate and testosterone gels) to two undercover agents and a paid DEA confidential source over the course of 18 months. Levine also sold several thousand dollars worth of anabolic steroids to a Las Vegas trainer for local bodybuilders on at least one occasion.
Over the course of the investigation, Dr. Levine was always alone in his medical office; there were no secretaries, nurses, or other administrative support staff present but he had a pool table a refrigerator full of beer. Levine never conducted any sort of medical assessment or history before prescribing steroids. During the course of the investigation, Levine discussed the resale of steroids by his clients including suggested prices. He also told his clients that they were considered drug dealers under the law and suggested that they refer their customers to him to avoid the possibility of criminal prosecution; he even offered to pay them a referral fee if they chose to do that.
Search warrants executed on Levine’s MSN and AOL email accounts (seattelmd@hotmail.com and ageisonlyanumber@aol.com) revealed that he sold steroids over the internet using the alias “Alan” where customers paid by credit card; there was no physical examination or medical questionnaire or any semblance of a doctor-patient relationship.
Levine was previously disciplined for selling Viagra over the internet via his company Confirmed.com LLC and ordered to cease selling prescription drugs via email and over the internet.
Levine was sentenced to prison for trying to extort $500,000 from Jack-in-the-Box stating that he was given spoiled chicken and threatening to take his story to the New York Times.
