A Tampa bodybuilder allegedly made a deal to obtain anabolic steroids from “an agent of the Tampa Police Department” whom he met at Lifestyle Family Fitness. But instead of paying for the steroids in cash, he agreed to pay for the steroids with cocaine and GHB according to news accounts. The current exchange rate of steroids for this quantity of recreational drugs is unknown (”Tampa Man Charged With Selling GHB, Cocaine To Officer,” November 19).

A Tampa man agreed to deliver a gallon of the so-called date-rape drug gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB, to an agent of the Tampa Police Department in exchange for steroids, police say.

The man… also delivered 5.6 grams of cocaine Tuesday as part of the deal, according to a criminal arrest affidavit.

The amateur bodybuilder may have heard rumors of a cocaine-for-steroids exchange program at the Tampa Police Department. After all, officers in Tampa have been known to trade confiscated recreational drugs for anabolic steroids in the past while on duty and in full uniform. It seems that the going rate at the time for 10 vials of Deca Durabolin was about 1,000 ecstasy tablets (”Ex-officer sentenced in ecstasy deal: An ex-Tampa officer gets 70 months for exchanging 1,000 ecstasy pills from police custody for steroids,” March 11, 2003).

[Former Tampa police officer Matthew Campbell retrieved] 1,000 tablets of ecstasy in the console of a 1995 Ford Mustang before it was impounded during an arrest.

The man who had been arrested had called Campbell, whom he knew from working security in Ybor City, and asked if he could get into the impound lot and retrieve the ecstasy, according to court records.

Campbell agreed, in exchange for 10 bottles of the anabolic steroid Deca, the records said.

On Dec. 18, 2000, Campbell met with the man and exchanged the ecstasy for the steroids, according to court records. Another police officer was with Campbell, the records said.

Campbell pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

The Tampa man has been charged with trafficking in GHB and possession of cocaine with intent to sell and delivery of cocaine.

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Tampa Police Department Cocaine for Steroids Exchange Program

Steve Kettmann, the ghostwriter for Jose Canseco’s autobiographical memoir that exposed the use of anabolic steroid in Major League Baseball, reviews the Manhattan Theatre Club production of playwright Itamar Moses’ dramedy about the steroids in baseball scandal. The off-broadway play “Back Back Back” is a fictionalized portrayal of the relationship between Bash Brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, and the use of anabolic steroids during their baseball careers (”New play examines relationship between Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire,” November 15).

Steve Kettmann’s over-familiarity with the source material gives him a unique perspective on the relationship between Canseco and McGwire. Kettmann covered the Oakland Athletics baseball team for the San Francisco Chronicle between 1994 and 1998 and was on friendly terms with the Bash Brothers Canseco and McGwire. Kettmann’s relationship with Mark McGwire became much less friendly when he asserted that McGwire used anabolic steroids in a New York Times editorial entitled “Baseball Must Come Clean on Its Darkest Secret.” But Kettmann stayed in Canseco’s good graces eventually hanging out with him extensively to ghostwrite the explosive steroid expose “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ’Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big” which featured descriptions of Canseco injecting McGwire with steroids.

So when Itamar Moses reflects upon the reasons the Jose Canseco proxy “Raul” wrote the book that destroyed the hall of fame chances teammate Mark McGwire proxy Kent, Kettman finds the discussion “deeply fascinating and irresistible.”

So when our stage version of Canseco dismisses the different theories on why he turned rat and ended the Era of Denial in the Summer Game, from financial need to naked jealousy of McGwire’s success in the golden summer of ‘98, Raul/Canseco finally says, “I don’t know.”

As the guy who actually hung out with Canseco, who actually talked all this stuff through with him, who asked him pointed questions and tried like hell to see if he would change his story when confronted at different times in different ways, it has long been my own theory that he didn’t know why he was doing this.

Oh, it’s clear that his motivation was in part financial (although he was living in a big, garish California mansion at the time we held our talks for the book), in part revenge against the game that he thought had blackballed him, and in part a contempt for the patsies who would let themselves be conned so thoroughly, meaning by the entire game of baseball. But if anyone thinks Canseco really had a clear idea of it all, of why he was doing any of it, of which parts were more important and which less so, I’d say they’re just plain wrong – and no, I’m not much interested to hear what Canseco has to say now about the “writing” of “Juiced” or his alleged regrets about doing the book in the first place.

The consensus is that the play fails as a morality tale about steroids, but succeeds as an exploration of the motivations of helping a friend use anabolic steroids only to destroy him later because of it in a tell-all book.

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Jose Canseco Ghostwriter Reviews Play About Steroids and the Bash Brothers

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Portland Office launched a public-corruption investigation involving the role of the Canby Police Department in a steroid distribution network according to an investigative report by Maxine Bernstein of the Oregonian. Federal investigators allege that Canby police officer Jason Deason openly purchased anabolic steroids and growth hormone from local steroid sources and tipped off his suppliers to any police inquiries; furthermore, Canby Police Chief Greg Kroeplin was aware of his housemate Deason’s involvement with local steroid sources and not only failed to act upon it but may have actively covered it up. Officer Deason even submitted purchases for anabolic steroids and growth hormone on official Canby Police stationary (”Canby cop bought steroids on the job, FBI says,” November 15).

Federal agents this year launched a public-corruption investigation, revealing a cozy relationship between Kroeplin and Deason in the 24-member force that allowed the officer to brazenly buy steroids while on duty and in uniform and tip off his suppliers to police inquiries, according to multiple search warrant affidavits filed in U.S. District Court.

Canby police supervisors either failed to address the problem or concealed it, federal authorities allege in the court documents. The investigation also uncovered a steroid distribution network that operated in Oregon, Washington and Arizona.

No charges have been filed in an ongoing investigation by the FBI Portland Office. The Oregonian reports that Canby officer Deason purchased anabolic steroids and human growth hormone from local steroid sources William Traverso, of Canby Landscape Supply, and Brian Jackson, the former strength and conditioning coach for the Oregon City High School girls basketball team. All three worked out at Nelson’s Nautilus gym in Oregon City.

William Traverso is apparently cooperating with federal investigators after the FBI raided his house on July 30, 2008 and found two containers of steroids from the underground lab (UGL) Goldline Global Pacific Labs containing Winstrol and Anavar. Traverso identified Officer Deason as a steroid customer and Brian Jackson as his primary supplier of steroids.

FBI agents search the house and vehicles of Canby businessman William Traverso on July 30, while another team of agents raid Canby Landscape Supply, where Traverso works. They seized two canisters of Winstrol and Anavar steroids from a safe in Traverso’s bedroom, drug records and two stolen guns. According to a search warrant affidavit, Traverso was recorded during the investigation telling an FBI informant, “I ain’t taking it for no cop.” He later admitted to the FBI he sold steroids to former Canby Officer Jason Deason.

[...]

From 2002 through 2005, Traverso said, Jackson was his main supplier of steroid pills, so he could maintain muscle tone without injections. Traverso admitted to the FBI he typically bought 50 to 100 pills of three kinds of steroids at a time, paying Jackson $2 to $3 a pill. In July, FBI agents confiscated two white canisters of steroids from a safe in Traverso’s bedroom that he said he bought from Jackson.

Traverso admitted selling steroids and human growth hormone, or HGH, to Deason. He also gave federal agents an order for steroids that Deason had given him, written on Canby police stationery.

Former coach Brian Jackson is apparently cooperating with federal investigators after the FBI searched his house on September 12, 2008. Jackson identified William Traverso and Officer Jason Deason as customers and Rainbow “Bo” Wild Keepers as his source for steroids.

On Sept. 12, agents searched Jackson’s home and seized drug records. Jackson had been terminated from his paid assistant coaching job with the Oregon City High School girls basketball team for “just getting a little too close to students,” said Reece, the athletic director. He was with the team three years.

Jackson, with his attorney, began cooperating with federal authorities shortly afterward. He identified his source for steroids as Vancouver resident Rainbow “Bo” Wild Keepers, 39, a competitive bodybuilder and photographer. Agents ran Keepers’ name in federal databases and discovered that an Arizona man had tipped off the Drug Enforcement Administration years ago that Keepers was his source of steroids. Keepers was never charged.

Jackson estimated he made at least 75 steroid buys from Keepers between 2005 and 2007. He’d call in his orders for steroids in pill and injectable form then meet Keepers in parking lots in Portland and Oregon City to exchange cash for the drugs. Jackson told the FBI he sold to Traverso, Deason and an unidentified university public safety officer, court affidavits show.

Officer Jason Deason has denied the use of anabolic steroids to federal investigators.

Deason, in his first interview July 2 with federal agents, denied any use of steroids but said he was aware of the rumors swirling. He told them he achieved his 6-foot-1, 270-pound muscular build through a serious weightlifting regimen and diet with nutritional supplements. He called Traverso a “good friend” whom he met at the gym.

Canby Police Chief Greg Kroeplin has been accused of overlooking or ignoring complaints about Officer Jason Deason’s involvement with the steroid black market since 2001. During this time, Kroeplin allegedly received numerous domestic abuse complaints from Deason’s ex-spouses, a detailed report from an outside law enforcement agency detailing Deason’s steroid involvement, and complaints about Deason from a Canby detective (who was subsequently demoted).

Ironically, Canby Police Chief Greg Kroeplin was unavailable for comment for the Oregonian story since he was attending a law enforcement conference advising police leaders around the country on ways to reduce “roid rage” in law enforcement. Phoenix Police Commander Kim Humphrey spoke about eliminating steroid use by police officers through steroid testing and other means at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in San Diego on November 9, 2008.

Scott Henson, of the criminal justice blog Grits for Breakfast, believes their are good arguments for steroid use by police officers and that steroids should probably be legalized since the side effects from anabolic steroids are relatively modest. BUT Henson believes steroid use by law enforcement is a serious problem because the illegal status of anabolic steroids makes law enforcement vulnerable to corruption.

[A]s long as steroids are illegal, when cops purchase and use them it opens them up to blackmail, corruption, and participation (at varying levels) in black market drug rings.

Certainly there are good arguments for police officers wanting to take steroids, and I’m actually quite sympathetic to the idea that they ought to be able to do so. My personal view is that steroids, like marijuana, pose modest risks that are knowingly taken by those using the substances, and probably should be legalized. But as long as steroids are illegal, making sure cops don’t participate in an illicit drug culture is a LOT more important than policing baseball players.

The real problem with cops using steroids does not involve roid rage and/or health concerns. It involves the potential corruption involving law enforcement participation in illegal steroid distribution networks.

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Canby Police Department Under Investigation for Public Corruption Involving Steroid Distribution

President-elect Barack Obama has selected Phil Schiliro as the Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. Schiliro will play an important role in the Obama-Biden administration as Obama’s top White House Congressional liason. Phil Schiliro was Chief of Staff to Representative Henry Waxman, the chairman for the House Oversight Committee (”Philip Schiliro, Veteran Congressional Aide, Named To Obama’s Staff,” November ).

Phil Schiliro, as Waxman’s Chief of Staff, is given most of the credit for initiating the Congressional hearings on anabolic steroid use in baseball after reading Jose Canseco’s book Juiced. The Congressional grandstanding at the steroid witch-hunt was also known as “Restoring Faith in America’s Pastime: Evaluating Major League Baseball’s Efforts to Eradicate Steroid Use” (”Persistent Schiliro Back as a Co-Pilot for Oversight,” February 1, 2007).

His biggest PR coup occurred in 2005 when Congress investigated allegations that Major League Baseball players were using steroids. The committee subpoenaed seven players, including the Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro and St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire, who broke the home-run record in 1998. Those hearings were marked by McGwire’s refusal to say whether he had taken steroids and Palmeiro’s firm statement that he had not. Several months after the hearings, Palmeiro tested positive for steroids and was briefly suspended from baseball. Barnett said the hearings contributed to eventual changes in the league’s drug policy.

He said that Schiliro brought the steroid issue to Waxman and Davis after the publication of Jose Canseco’s book, “Juiced,” in which the former slugger said he and other players had used performance-enhancing drugs. A baseball fan, Schiliro worried that use among the sport’s heroes would convince young people that they had to use drugs to be competitive. He got the committee into the act when he concluded that Major League Baseball wasn’t taking the book’s allegations seriously.

Viewers of the documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” know that Rep. Henry Waxman is completely clueless about about anabolic steroids and steroid law in particular. So, it would come as know surprise that someone else, his chief of staff Schiliro, pushed their own anti-steroid agenda through the House Oversight Committe.

The Obama-Biden administration’s appointment of anti-steroid crusader Phil Schiliro as a role as the President’s top legislative liason to Congress certainly dims the already faded hopes of steroid law reform. Obama’s statements about the government’s obsession with steroids notwithstanding, the appointment of two anti-steroid crusaders, Joe Biden and Phil Schiliro, is discouraging for advocates of steroid legal reform. Some bloggers feel Schiliro may actively use his new position to influence national policy on anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs to appease international anti-doping agencies.

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Anti-Steroid Crusader Chosen as Obama Presidential Assistant for Legislative Affairs

International and domestic domain name registrars (DNR) have taken down numerous anabolic steroid websites over the past 30 days, most recently Advanced-Stealth.com and Steroids-Pharmacy.com on November 14, 2008. The DNR takedowns were NOT the result of any law enforcement or government regulatory action; the DNRs apparently initiated the action on their own after pressure from organizations like LegitScript. LegitScript announced the takedowns of the steroid pharmacies as two of over 500 affected websites in the “largest internet pharmacy shutdown in history” (”LegitScript Terminates Nearly 500 Rogue Internet Pharmacies and Steroid Websites,” November 14).

Steroids-Pharmacy.com and Advanced-Stealth.com, which sold anabolic steroids, Schedule III Controlled Substances, without requiring a prescription, from overseas.

Steroids-Pharmacy.com and Advanced-Stealth.com have been two of the biggest supporters of U.S. steroid law reform and harm reduction-based steroid education.

The steroid website domains were registered through India Access, an India-based reseller of registration domain services from ICANN-accredited Public Domain Registry.

LegitScript.com has been pressuring DNRs since July 2008 to terminate steroid-related websites arguing that domain registrars have a legal, social and moral obligation to shutdown the steroid websites that violate the registrar’s terms of service. Thus far, the website suspensions have only affected steroid pharmacy websites  i.e. websites that actually sell anabolic steroids. However, LegitScript has also argued for the termination of steroid websites that are seemingly informational websites but really “functionally a storefront or entry point” for steroid pharmacies.

GoDaddy was the first domain name registrar to start taking down steroid websites in October claiming Axiolabsgear.com, Effectivemedications.com, and Body-pharmacy.com as casualties. GoDaddy cited the Ryan Haight Act as their legal basis for the action. The Ryan Haight Act was signed by President George W. Bush on October 15, 2008; it goes into effect on approximately April 15, 2009.

Steroid legal expert Rick Collins offered his analysis of the Ryan Haight Act as a continuation of the “war on steroid trafficking” even though it only explicitly targets the abuse of prescription painkillers. But the Act has far-reaching consequences for anabolic steroid trafficking cases since it calls for maximum steroid trafficking sentences to double.

Global Crossing and Hurricane Electric, major worldwide internet connectivity providers to thousands of web hosting companies worldwide, are also potentially joining the fight against steroid pharmacies as they have recently taken the unprecedented step of shutting down McColo Corporation, a so-called “bulletproof” hosting company. While McColo was primarily a haven for spammers, internet pharmacies and gambling sites are among other sites that utilize the services of “bulletproof” web hosting companies (”Host of Internet Spam Groups Is Cut Off,” November 13).

The servers are operated by McColo Corp., which these experts say has emerged as a major U.S. hosting service for international firms and syndicates that are involved in everything from the remote management of millions of compromised computers to the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and designer goods…

Steroid website takedowns by domain name registrars, new steroid-related legislation, and possibly major internet backbone providers are all converging in the war on steroid.

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Domain Name Registrars Suspending Anabolic Steroid Websites

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) thanked governments around the world for joining them in their efforts to internationalize steroid law around the world during a ceremony to celebrate the ratification of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport 2005 by over 100 countries.

WADA has explicitly stated their desire for all national governments to criminalize the use of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs as defined in the WADA code. WADA’s politically-correct and moralistic agenda, like U.S. steroid law enforcement policy, seeks to pressure and coerce other governments to think alike and conform to accept its policy as the defacto international anti-steroid policy (”WADA praises governments for anti-doping stance,” November 12).

WADA’s David Howman said Wednesday that 102 countries have ratified the UNESCO Convention on Doping in Sport since it came into force nearly two years ago. It means anti-doping measures become part of national law in the countries that have ratified the agreement.

[...]

“We’re not there yet, we still have a long way to go. (Doping) is too easy in many countries because there are not strong enough laws,” Howman said. “Let’s enhance the fight through legislation.”

Steroid policy experts have been critical of the internationalization of steroid law for its highly politicized and moralistic agenda. Philip Sweitzer analyzes the trend of political correctness in the current debate on steroid law policy that has troubling consequences for countries around the world (”Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids Across the Atlantic - The “Americanization” and Politicization of International Steroid Law“).

The internationalized, fascistic nature of current steroid law enforcement policy thus emerges.  Hegemony is its stated goal, that U.S. policy must be tantamount to international policy:  all nations must conform to the legal standard of the United States.  We must all think alike… The “internationalization” of steroid law, however, is also troubling for its politicization and heavy-handed reliance on dishonest notions of morality, cheating, and “protecting our children,” rather than science, which the author has previously addressed.

The United States President George W. Bush made the ratification of the Convention official on August 4, 2008 after the U.S. Senate had previously approved the measure. Anti-doping officials were thrilled that the United States agreed to “apply the force of international law to anti-doping” (”United States ratifies International Convention against Doping in Sport,” August 4).

The International Convention against Doping in Sport represents the first time that governments around the world have agreed to apply the force of international law to anti-doping. Accordingly, the Convention helps to formalize global anti-doping rules, policies and guidelines in order to ensure an honest and equitable playing environment for all athletes. It was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in 2005 and entered into force 1 February 2007.

The Convention is designed to compel action as there are specific areas where only governments can advance anti-doping efforts, such as restricting the availability to athletes of performance enhancing drugs or methods. Action is required to reach athlete support personnel, to curtail trafficking and to regulate nutritional supplements.

The Convention Against Doping in Sport is largely symbolic in spite of proclamations by anti-doping officials that ratification of the Convention places the “force of international law” to steroid law enforcement policy. Some of the first countries to ratify the convention have made no attempt to change their existing steroid law in order to be more consistent with WADA and/or the UNESCO Convention.

The United Kingdom (April 2006) and Canada (November 2005) legislation still permits the possession of anabolic steroids for personal use; so technically competitive athletes could legally use steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. The International Olympic Committee is applying significant political pressure upon the United Kingdom to introduce legislation that would criminalize possession of steroids prior to the 2012 London Olympics. The IOC is undoubtedly pressuring Canada to criminalize steroid possession as well prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics; Canada seems to have responded only with increased steroid crackdowns on distribution.

The symbolic nature of the Convention, and its lack of power to truly internationalize steroid law, was exposed by a top legal advisor in the U.S. State Department during testimony before the U.S. Senate prior to the approval of the Convention. Principal Deputy Legal Advisor Joan Donoghue confirmed that the Convention did NOT require changes in national steroid law and gave signatories significant latitude to essentially ignore provisions of the Convention. Thus, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada are not required to change their steroid laws by the Convention (”Testimony of Joan Donoghue Before the Committee of Foreign Relations, United States Senate, On the International Convention Against Doping in Sport,” May 22).

The Convention is entirely consistent with U.S. anti-doping laws and regulations. The Convention is not structured to secure changes to national law or regulation, but rather to secure commitments by parties to promote international collaboration, research, education, and their own national efforts and awareness of anti-doping control efforts. In other words, no new legislation will be required to implement this Convention. Importantly, Article 35 of the Convention specifically recognizes federalism limitations within certain Parties’ national legal structures, and allows those Parties, such as the United States, to address implementation of the Convention in a manner consistent with those concerns.

The United States has repeatedly stated the Convention’s principles are already reflected in current steroid law. This is not exactly true. The Convention calls for increased regulation of dietary supplement (article 8 and 10) and the withholding of financial support for ANY sports organization that doesn’t comply with WADA-type anti-doping rules (article 11). However, the United States, as suggested by Donoghue, is free to ignore any principle with which it disagrees. President George W. Bush’s press secretary further asserted that “professional (major league) sports are not within the purview of the convention” assuring that the NFL and MLB will not be forced to become a signatory on the WADA code as a consequence of the ratification of the Convention against Doping.

UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport 2005

Article 8 – Restricting the availability and use in sport of prohibited substances and methods

1. States Parties shall, where appropriate, adopt measures to restrict the availability of prohibited substances and methods in order to restrict their use in sport by athletes, unless the use is based upon a therapeutic use exemption. These include measures against trafficking to athletes and, to this end, measures to control production, movement, importation, distribution and sale.

2. States Parties shall adopt, or encourage, where appropriate, the relevant entities within their jurisdictions to adopt measures to prevent and to restrict the use and possession of prohibited substances and methods by athletes in sport, unless the use is based upon a therapeutic use exemption.

3. No measures taken pursuant to this Convention will impede the availability for legitimate purposes of substances and methods otherwise prohibited or controlled in sport.

[...]

Article 10 – Nutritional supplements

States Parties, where appropriate, shall encourage producers and distributors of nutritional supplements to establish best practices in the marketing and distribution of nutritional supplements, including information regarding their analytic composition and quality assurance.

Article 11 – Financial measures

[...]

States Parties shall, where appropriate:

(c) withhold some or all financial or other sport-related support from any sports organization or anti-doping organization not in compliance with the Code or applicable anti-doping rules adopted pursuant to the Code.

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WADA, UNESCO and Internationalization of Steroid Law

Bishop Dolegiewicz, who was former Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson’s first supplier of anabolic steroids, died at the age of 55 on October 28, 2008. Dolegiewicz was a three-time Olympic track and field athlete for Canada and considered one of the all-time best throwers (particularly in the shot put and discus) in sports history. He also competed in the World’s Strongest Man competition and was widely considered to be one of the strongest men in the world. His accomplishments as an athlete and as a coach are legendary and deserving of tribute. However, since this is an anabolic steroid blog, I will focus on Dolegiewicz significant role in the history of anabolic steroids in sports.

When Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for stanozolol during the 100 meter finals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the reaction triggered the largest government-sponsored investigation into performance enhancing drugs in history by Canada. The Dubin “Commission of Inquiry into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance” (aka Dubin Inquiry) produced 14,000 pages of testimony from 119 witnesses at the cost of $3-4 million in 1989. The Dubin Inquiry is credited with breaking the code of omertà regarding anabolic steroid use in sports.

The Dubin Inquiry also revealed that Bishop Dolegiewicz was widely considered to be a major steroid supplier for many track and field athletes in Canada, including Ben Johnson. He was also known for his expertise and knowledge on anabolic steroids and anabolic pharmacology.

Bishop Dolegiewicz’s name surfaced early in the Inquiry from other track and field witnesses. He was described as someone with a fund of knowledge on performance-enhancing substances and a ready supply of drugs to sell. He was characterized as someone who would readily share with his fellow athletes his knowledge and expertise about specific drugs, the cycling of drugs, their side effects, and other such matters.

Bishop Dolegiewicz first learned about steroids from athletes at the University of Texas in the early 1970s. According to his widow, Dolegiewicz was the Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Texas at Austin when the Longhorn Football team went undefeated with an 11-0 record. The University of Texas Longhorns were 11-0 in 1969 when they won the first of two consecutive Division 1-A College Football Championships.

Dolegiewicz obtained many of the steroids that he sold to Canadian track and field athletes from Don’s Pharmacy run by former pharmacist Don Von Minden in Austin, Texas (”Canadian Shot-Putter Tells of Steroid Role,” June 27, 1989).

Bishop Dolegiewicz, testifying before a Government commission investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, also said that he obtained many of the steroids he distributed from a pharmacy in Austin, Tex. Dolegiewicz, a 35-year-old native of Toronto, graduated from the University of Texas in 1981.

Although his appearance before the commission lasted barely 90 minutes, Dolegiewicz described in some detail the drug-filled world in which he lived, competing for Texas and Canada. And it hardly changed - from 1972, his freshman year at Texas when he estimated that half the throwers he competed against in college used steroids; to 1985, when he retired from a sport he felt was saturated with drug users.

”At the higher levels of competition,” he said of the throwing events of track and field, ”I would be hard-pressed to find the name of an individual who hasn’t used steroids.”

Dolegiewicz confirmed that in 1983 and 1984 he supplied Mike Spiritosa, another Canadian shot-putter, with 1,000 tablets of an anabolic steroid called Dianabol. Each time, he said, he had obtained the drugs with a doctor’s prescription from Don’s Pharmacy in Austin, and he charged Spiritosa what he paid.

Bishop Dolegiewicz was an invaluable steroid resource for the Canadian track and field team. He taught Charlie Francis (Ben Johnson’s coach) how to use steroids and helped design steroid cycles for several athletes.

During the period of his active competition, Mr. Dolegiewicz was a resource on drug information for other athletes. He knew Charlie Francis and was one of the initial sources of supply of steroids to Mr. Francis for use by his sprinters. From time to time Mr. Dolegiewicz also provided Mr. Francis with advice about specific drugs; for example, in 1982 he advised that Winstrol was to be preferred over Dianabol because it was milder. As well, Mr. Doelgiewicz assisted athletes such as Angella Issajenko with the structuring of their steroid cycles, and on occasion he administered injections of steroids.

Charlie Francis coached Ben Johnson for several years and introduced Johnson to anabolic steroids in 1981. Ben Johnson used very low-dose Dianabol (methandrostenolone) during his first steroid cycles. Francis obtained Johnson’s supply from Bishop Dolegiewicz (”Coach Tells a Canadian Inquiry Johnson Used Steroids Since ‘81,” March 2, 1989).

Mr. Francis said that Mr. Johnson embarked on three-week cycles of Dianabol, first taking five milligrams daily, later alternating between 5 and 10 milligram tablets.

The coach said they were part of a supply of 500 tablets he had received from Bishop Dolegiewicz, a Canadian shot putter who participated in the 1976 Olympics. Later, Mr. Francis said, doctors in the United States and Canada, including Dr. Astaphan, replaced Mr. Dolegiewicz as his drug supplier.

Charlie Francis replaced Bishop Dolegiewicz as his steroid supplier with Dr. Jamie Astaphan for undisclosed reasons. From testimony at the Dubin Inquiry, it appears there may have been a falling out between Francis and Dolegiewicz.

In another incident, Dolegiewicz acknowledged taking a large bottle containing several hundred Dianabol tablets to the 1983 world championships in Helsinki, Finland.

”They were supposed to be for the sprint group,” he said, alluding to Canadian runners in the meet. ”But then they decided they didn’t want to use them anymore.”

Dolegiewicz denied the previous testimony of Charlie Francis, who was Ben Johnson’s coach, and Rob Gray, another Canadian shot-putter, who had said that Dolegiewicz had intended to sell the drugs to whomever wanted them, only to be thwarted when Soviet athletes, with their own supplies, were underselling him.

Bishop Dolegiewicz retired from active competition after the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and went on to become a very successful coach, most recently at Southern Utah University. As a coach, he has consistently advised against steroid use in athletics. Dolegiewicz died in his sleep on October 28, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Anna Dolegiewicz, a competitive athlete and an assistance coach at Utah Valley University.

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Bishop Dolegiewicz Was Sprinter Ben Johnson’s First Steroid Supplier

Three individuals who purchased anabolic steroids with a prescription for their own personal use were indicted on steroid possession charges. Cleveland Police Lieutenant Anthony Tuleta, former firefighter Craig Romey and former EMS paramedic Angel Otero purchased various anabolic steroids and human growth hormone with prescriptions obtained over the Internet from California-based physician Ramon Scruggs via the New Hope Med website. A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Tuleta, Romey and Otero on multiple drug (steroid) possession charges for illegally purchasing steroids for bodybuilding purposes (”Cleveland cop, firefighter and paramedic charged in steroid probe,” November 10).

Police Lt. Anthony Tuleta, 50, former firefighter Craig Romey, 38, and former EMS paramedic Angel Otero, 41, received prescriptions over the Internet between January 2003 and June 2007 from Dr. Ramon Scruggs of Santa Ana, Calif., prosecutors said. Scruggs faces 13 charges for drug trafficking.

Prosecutors have rarely pursued cases against individual steroid users who obtained steroids with a doctor’s prescription. Successful prosecution would require successfully defining and proving legally ambigous issues like what constitutes a “valid medical prescription,” “legitimate medical purpose,” and “doctor-patient relationship.” Only recently has legislation (i.e. Ryan Haight Act) been introduced to clarify such definitions. Perhaps prosecutors are now emboldened to take on such cases now that the Act has passed and will be enacted in April 2009 (”Ryan Haight Act: Internet Pharmacy Criminal Defense Issues,” October 1).

The Ryan Haight Act attempts to clear up the ambiguity associated with with what constitutes valid prescriptions.  The current version of the The Controlled Substances Act makes it illegal to distribute any of its schedule III and IV drugs; however, it exempts from prosecution individuals that have licenses to distribute controlled Schedule III and IV substances with a valid prescription (i.e. physicians).  21 USC 829(b).  The CSA refrains from noting what a valid prescription is.  Instead, one must look to the C.F.R. 1306.04(a):

“A prescription for a controlled substance to be effective must be issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his professional practice.

The confusion lies, as I have previously discussed, in what actually constitutes “acting in the usual course of professional practice.”  Previous cases and the DEA equate that to the need for a doctor-patient relationship.  Unfortunately, the Federation of State Medical Boards has expressly said that online consultations without doctor physical examinations do, in fact, constitute doctor-patient relationships.

The defendants brought attention to their steroid use by submitting insurance claims for large quantities of anabolic steroids and/or other performance enhancing drugs ($95,000, $23,355 and $9,262 worth of steroids and HGH over a 3-1/2 year period). The insurance company determined that the steroids were prescribed for non-medical purposes and turned the case over to the DEA.

Tuleta, Romey and Otero submitted claims to Medical Mutual of Ohio, said Ryan Miday, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office. The insurance company contacted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration because the large amounts of drugs were being prescribed for non-medical uses, he said.

Investigators believe the men used the drugs for bodybuilding and did not sell them, Miday said. None of the four men could be reached to comment on the charges.

Tuleta, a 27-year officer, submitted nearly $95,000 in claims. He was suspended without pay Monday. Otero, of Cleveland, submitted $9,262 in claims, and Romey, now a firefighter in Las Vegas, submitted $23,355, Miday said. Each faces multiple charges for possession and theft.

Tuleta, Romey and Otero face six, four, and three counts of drug (steroid) possession based on their purchases of anabolic steroids. Dr. Ramon Scruggs faces 13 counts of drug (steroid) trafficking for illegally prescribing steroid and other performance enhancing drugs to these three individuals for non-medical purposes (”Cleveland Police Lieutenant indicted for steroids,” November 10).

Scruggs was indicted on 13 counts of Drug Trafficking. He faces a maximum sentence of 39 ½ years in prison. Romey was indicted on 4 counts of Possession of Drugs and 1 count of Theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 16 ½ years in prison. Otero was indicted on 3 counts of Possession of Drugs and 1 count of Theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison. Tuleta was indicted on 6 counts of Possession of Drugs and 1 count of Theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 24 ½ years in prison.

Ramon Scruggs has previously been linked to the Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal and MLB baseball players. Scruggs was indicted in a separate case by a federal grand jury in San Jose California for various steroid distribution and conspiracy charges in April 2008.

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Police Lieutenant Charged with Possession for Steroids Prescribed by Dr Ramon Scruggs

There is hope for anabolic steroid users that U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama will legalize the non-medical use of steroids shortly after he is inaugurated. Of course, the actual likelihood is slightly greater than “a snowball’s chance in hell,” but one can find indicators (albeit extremely tenuous) to suggest that Obama would support such a change in steroid laws.

(1) Barack Obama thinks the federal government is spending way too much time on anabolic steroids.

The logical solution would be to remove anabolic steroids from the controlled substances list freeing up government resources for the more serious concerns faced by our nation.

“We’ve got nuclear weapons and a financial meltdown to worry about. We shouldn’t be worrying about steroids as much as I think sometimes we do.”

(2) Barack Obama selected Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff.

Rahm Emanuel is the brother of Ari Emanuel. Ari Emanuel is the founder of the Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills, California. Ari Emanuel’s agency is one of the most powerful of the “big five” entertainment agencies in Hollywood.

Most importantly is the fact that Ari Emanuel is the superagent that represents director Christopher Bell. Chis Bell directed the steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” which advocates a rational re-evaluation of anabolic steroids and arguably supports the case for steroid law reform.

Perhaps this will lead to a private White House screening of “Bigger Stronger Faster*”?

(3) Barack Obama has implied that his new Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel actually uses anabolic steroids.

Barack Obama was joking when he made the steroid suggestion at a 2005 Roast of Rahm Emanuel who was then a Democratic Congressman from Illinois. Obama further joked that Emanuel possesses many of the stereotypical characteristics of an anabolic steroid user.

Rahm is a little intense, he is strong, he is aggressive, he is emotional, he is moody and the Republicans have finally figured out one way to control him: they are going to start steroid testing members.

Furthermore, Rahm Emanuel is nicknamed “Rahmbo” after the Rambo character played by Sylvester Stallone who is an outspoken advocate of anabolic steroid use and proponent of human growth hormone use. “Rahmbo” is also an ultra-competitive athlete who competes in triathlons and marathons.

(4) Finally, screenwriter and alleged steroid user Tyler Perry is producing a biographical movie adaptation of Barack Obama’s life.

Tyler Perry allegedly obtained steroids from chiropractor Michael Diamond at the upscale Manhattan Gym called Clay; Dr. Diamond is said to have received steroids on behalf of celebrities that were prescribed by Gary Brandwein and shipped by Signature Pharmacy. After his name was publicly leaked in the Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal, Perry had dinner with Barack and Michelle Obama and subsequently decided to write a love story about the future President and First Lady.

I’m not sure how, but the possibility that a steroid-fueled Tyler Perry is making a movie about Barack Obama bodes wells for steroid legalization.

I was just watching him in the debate with Hillary and meeting him and Michelle and having dinner with them. They just inspired this amazing story. It’s a love story with a little political twist but it’s mostly about…it’s called “For the Love of You” and it’s about his love for his woman. It’s going to be amazing.

So, President-Elect Barack Obama thinks the government spends too much time on steroids, selects top adviser whose brother represents a film about steroid use, implies his top adviser uses anabolic steroids, and has dinner with a purported steroid user who is making a movie about Obama.

What does this mean for the future of anabolic steroid law reform? Well, most likely absolutely nothing. But it was fun to examine the interconnectedness between Obama and the steroid issue!

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Indicators That Barack Obama Will Legalize Anabolic Steroids

The International Olympic Committe (IOC) is pressuring the United Kingdom (UK) to criminalize the personal use of anabolic steroids prior to the 2012 London Olympics. The mere possession of anabolic steroids and/or the importation of steroids for personal use is not an offense under UK law. Consequently, athletes (and bodybuilders) in the United Kingdom can technically use anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) without violating UK law. But this may soon change in the next few years if the IOC has their way (”IOC pressure Great Britain to change doping laws ahead of London Olympics 2012,” November 8).

The IOC are growing increasingly frustrated at Britain’s refusal to introduce legislation to outlaw the possession, supply and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs.

Their stance leaves them out of step with other European countries such as Sweden, France, Italy, Greece and Germany where anti-doping laws mean athletes and their suppliers can go to jail.

Great Britain’s refusal to blindly follow the trend towards the internationalization of steroid law taking hold in the rest of the European Union presents a significant threat to the moral authority of the IOC. The IOC has promoted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code as the guide for certain moral offenses that should be criminalized.

The IOC are considering making it a condition of bidding for future Olympic Games that candidate countries have anti-doping laws. In the meantime, just as the Chinese authorities were persuaded to introduce new legislation in the run-up to this summer’s Games, Britain will be under pressure to fall into line.

Ljungqvist, who is also a board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said: “I think legislation is very important that criminalises certain offences as detailed in the WADA code because it allows public authorities to intervene where we cannot.

The big question is whether or not the United Kingdom will cave in to pressure by the IOC and the United States to adopt stricter (and even draconian) laws against mere personal use of steroids?

The United Kingdom refused to cooperate with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency during Operation Raw Deal in 2007. Rusty Payne, a DEA spokesperson, complained loudly about UK law enforcement’s refusal to take part in the international series of steroid busts citing the UK’s weak steroid laws (”British urged to do more in fight against steroids after US hails anti-doping sting,” November 30, 2007).

The DEA told The Times that Raw Deal was possible because of the co-operation from police from a long list of countries, many European, and also including Mexico, China, Colombia, Peru, Israel and Thailand, but that the one country that resisted involvement was the United Kingdom.

“UK law enforcement was not involved in Raw Deal, much to our disappointment,” Rusty Payne, the DEA spokesperson, said. He also said there was evidence to suggest some of the trafficking had come through the UK.

The DEA spokesperson predicted that the United Kingdom’s “weak” steroid laws against personal possession would be an increasingly problematic issue as the 2012 London Olympics approached.

“UK law enforcement had the opportunity,” he said. “When large international sporting events are taking place in a country in the next few years, then it surprises me that they are not interested now. We’ve done good work with the UK in other areas of drugs, but not with steroids.”

This revelation provides further condemning evidence of the esteem with which some of the international sports community view Britain’s approach to doping. Senior figures from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) raised fears in The Times about the ability of the 2012 Olympic hosts to fight doping when, unlike in many countries, possession of steroids is not a crime.

“The steroid laws are very good here in the US,” Payne said. “But from our standpoint, the laws in the UK are quite weak. There are many in the DEA here who think this is a problem. Maybe there isn’t enough teeth in your law. Weak drugs laws basically say: this isn’t a priority. In the US, steroids are only permissible under doctor’s prescription. Otherwise it’s a crime to possess, distribute or manufacture.”

The IOC has a clearly stated political agenda to influence host countries to enact anti-doping legislation criminalizing mere steroid use and possession. The IOC is openly lobbying for anti-doping laws shift some of the cost of doping enforcement to host countries’ government and sanction search and seizure against individuals suspected of doping.

The IOC have been convinced of the importance of criminal legislation after the events of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

It was only because of Italy’s tough anti-doping laws that they were able to expose blood-doping in the Austrian cross-country skiing team after police raided the athletes’ accommodation and seized haematological equipment and banned substances.

But should it be the government’s role to criminalize the violation of rules in a private sporting event? Should the government assume the role of moral police against “cheating” in sports? Why don’t we just criminalize any and all violations of the rules of games? If someone makes a prohibited move in checkers, let’s just throw them in jail!

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IOC Pressures UK to Criminalize Personal Use of Anabolic Steroids