An anabolic steroid expert’s plan to analyze the ingredients of various anabolic steroid preparations has made a few steroid manufacturers very nervous. The project involves laboratory analysis of various steroid products found on the underground black market. 

William Llewellyn, the leader of the quality control project, has faced threats, intimidation and organized attacks on his credibility, reputation, and character after revealing his intention to publish the results in the forthcoming book entitled “William Llewellyn’s UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS”. 

Balkan Pharmaceuticals 

Balkan Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company registered in Moldova, has systematically pressured Llewellyn to remove Balkan steroid products from the project since the book project was first announced at the beginning of the year. 

“Alin” of Balkan Pharmaceuticals has resorted to intimidation, threats, and attempted bribery in an effort to influence and/or suppress information in Llewellyn’s underground anabolics book. 

Alin has organized a “smear campaign” to damage Llewellyn’s reputation as much as possible in order to discredit the underground anabolics book. 

Llewellyn has steadfastly refused to acquiesce to Alin’s demands (”Open Letter to Alin (Balkan)“, July 18). 

I just want to make sure, Alin, that you are aware that your behavior has no effect on the book. No matter how insulting you may be, it will not change my ability to publish an impartial book. If your company is good, the reports will show this. But with all this behavior, I am very concerned you know already there will be problems. I hope I am wrong. 

I have been the direct subject to his hostile emails and attacks for weeks, and am getting tired of it. I will not let Alin affect my impartiality. 

Alin has found at least one ally sympathetic in his campaign against William Llewellyn. Anthony Roberts has abandoned any pretense of impartiality in support of this effort to discredit William Llewellyn. Roberts’s recent articles about Llewellyn have, not only indirectly fulfilled but, conveniently coincided with Alin’s threats against Llewellyn. 

Anthony Roberts 

Anthony Roberts is a much-maligned blogger known for his ruthless, and often personal, attacks on various individuals associated with the supplement industry and the anabolic steroid subculture. Roberts has been widely criticized for the judicious use of anonymous rumors and unsubstantiated allegations to substantiate his stories. Roberts has been unapologetic about his use of internet gossip in his blog to promote “the truth”. 

Anthony Roberts could be considered an unwitting participant in Alin’s smear campaign against Llewellyn. Observers would hope that Roberts was simply blinded by his own prejudice and animosity towards William Llewellyn rather than maliciously abandoning his objectivity to perpetuate a personal and vindictive campaign against Llewellyn. 

But Roberts rejects the notion that anybody is using him to do their dirty work. Roberts strongly denies any bias when writing about Llewellyn. He is convinced his characterization of Llewellyn is likely true based on the credibility of his anonymous source(s) and his supposed “firsthand evidence”. 

Anthony Roberts also vehemently denies singling out Llewellyn as part of a personal vendetta. He defends his attacks by pointing out that he has not included all the rumors provided by Alin because he considers some unfit for publication; additionally, he claims that he obtained many of the rumors independent of Alin. 

Relationship Between William Llewellyn and Anthony Roberts 

The strained relationship between Anthony Roberts and William Llewellyn predated the Balkan Pharmaceuticals threats against Llewellyn. 

The publication of Roberts’ first book “Anabolic Steroids: Ultimate Research Guide” in 2006 included large sections of data in tabular format that appeared to have been copied directly from “William Llewellyn’s Anabolics 2005”. Roberts distanced himself from that controversy claiming the decision was made by his co-author and publisher. 

A less-than-cordial relationship emerged particularly after heated exchanges occurred in bodybuilding forums over disagreements regarding steroid advice. 

Anthony Roberts launched a new round of attacks upon Llewellyn’s credibility and expertise last year after ECW Press agreed to publish Roberts’ proposed manuscript about the steroid subculture entitled “Generation S“.

The contract with a “real publishing house” emboldened Roberts to assert his superiority over Llewellyn as a writer and a steroid expert. Roberts has since repeatedly attacked the credibility of “self-published” authors, specifically Llewellyn. The attacks have been largely dismissed as little more than bickering and/or jealousy by a rival author. 

William Llewellyn’s Credibility as a Steroid Expert 

William Llewellyn’s credibility and authority as an anabolic steroid expert has been well established over the past decade notwithstanding Roberts’ assertions to the contrary. 

Llewellyn has spent the majority of his professional career educating readers with an honest, balanced and evidence-driven assessment of anabolic steroids, their non-medical use and the health and social implications. 

“William Llewellyn’s Anabolics”, the encyclopedic compendium of anabolic-androgenic steroids and performance enhancing drugs, has became the authoritative reference guide on the topic for steroid users as well as health care practitioners, physicians, law enforcement, prosecutors, sports organizations and harm reduction agencies. 

International government agencies have purchased hundreds of copies of Llewellyn’s Anabolics. The reference book has been used specifically to train and educate federal agents about this class of pharmaceuticals. 

Impetus for 2009 Smear Campaign 

The announcement of Llewellyn’s forthcoming book entitled “Underground Anabolics” early this year was the impetus for a new round of attacks against Llewellyn that moved beyond simple assertions disputing his expertise. The rumors not only questioned Llewellyn’s credibility and integrity, but maliciously accused him of engaging in criminal activity. 

The following allegations originated with “Alin” of Balkan Pharmaceuticals. Alin threatened to spread these rumors if Llewellyn did not remove the information about Balkan Pharmaceuticals from “Underground Anabolics”. Llewellyn refused comply with Alin’s demands. Alin’s rumors subsequently appeared in Anthony Roberts’ blog and were attributed to anonymous sources. 

Unfounded Rumor(s) that Llewellyn Accepts Bribes 

RUMOR:  Underground labs have bribed Llewellyn for favorable treatment in the book and/or that results have been manipulated or excluded in exchange for monetary payment. 

Alin admitted to offering Llewellyn a direct bribe. Llewellyn refused. Alin then tried to characterize the bribe as “advertising” in February 2009 based on the understanding that Balkan would not appear in “Underground Anabolics”. Llewellyn refused. 

Alin threatened to spread the rumor that Llewellyn did in fact accept the bribe. The rumor subsequently appeared in Anthony Roberts blog. 

Alin later threatened to spread the rumor that Llewellyn was bribed by British Dragon years ago; the source of Alin’s rumor was the conveniently deceased co-founder of British Dragon. 

Unfounded Rumor that Llewellyn is a Steroid Dealer 

RUMOR:  Llewellyn has partnered with underground labs to illegally distribute anabolic steroids; specifically implying that Llewellyn has a financial interest in promoting certain underground labs. 

Alin threatened to spread the rumor that Llewellyn had partnered with other underground labs if Llewellyn did not remove Balkan from the book. Llewellyn refused. 

Alin has alleged that one of the individuals involved in sample collection for UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS was involved in steroid sales. Alin accused Ronny Tober of operating Generic Supplements and Dutch Labs. Furthermore, Alin threatened to disseminate the rumor that Llewellyn was also involved in running these underground labs with Tober. 

Alin was the source of a list purportedly connecting Llewellyn to Generic Supplements; Alin emailed the list to various individuals on or approximately June 25, 2009. The list appeared on Anthony Roberts blog on July 15, 2009. Roberts stopped short of alleging direct involvement by Llewellyn although the implication was clear. 

Accusations Against Ronny Tober

Anthony Roberts has repeatedly attempted to discredit Llewellyn based on his relationship with Ronny Tober and other individuals that allegedly sell steroids. Roberts’ assertion has been that Llewellyn’s books can not be unbiased or impartial when using sources that are (allegedly) involved in criminal activity. 

Attempts to discredit William Llewellyn due to his utilization of sources that participate in the illicit underground steroid market are disingenuous. Most anabolic steroids used for non-medical purposes originate and are obtained from the androgen black market. Consequently, sources actively participating in illegal steroid distribution are essential to understanding the current state of and the operation of the market. 

Journalists’ and Researchers’ Use of Sources Involved in Criminal Activity 

Journalists routinely utilize sources involved in illegal activity. The source(s) that leaked the names of Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz did so in violation of federal law. The Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams expose of the BALCO steroid scandal in “Game of Shadows“ relied almost exclusively on grand jury testimony illegally leaked by their source. 

Not surprisingly, Llewellyn utilizes sources of information and contacts that may be involved in illicit steroid distribution. If one wishes to obtain underground anabolics for laboratory analyses, they must be obtained from the illicit underground steroid market. There is no other way to secure analyses of illicitly-traded steroid products. Identifying and  proving associations is one thing but drawing conclusions based on those associations is another matter entirely.

Challenges of Obtaining Steroids from Black Market 

The chain of custody for obtain steroids from the black market is not an easy task. Llewellyn openly addresses the challenges of obtaining, verifying and testing samples trade on the black market in a disclaimer for UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS. 

“It is important to emphasize that all of these samples were obtained from the black market. Inherently, products that are traded through illicit channels are very difficult to verify for authenticity. Given the high prevalence of counterfeiting with steroid products, even at times the counterfeiting of underground labs, these are named as “Listed Manufacturer” only. No attempt to verify these products has been made, and we cannot say for certain if any specific item is legitimate or counterfeit. These results, therefore, are not meant as a direct assessment of these labs. It would take more testing and source verification to make any conclusive judgments. Instead, when bad results are seen, it is a warning for products bearing the same name/lot number on the black market.” 

Cybercrime Used to Intimidate William Llewellyn 

Some personal attacks against Llewellyn have not been directly linked to Alin and/or Anthony Roberts. 

William Llewellyn’s Body of Science website was targeted by a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack) largely originating in Moldova on June 12, 2009. The DDoS effectively shut down Llewellyn’s website for seven consecutive days. 

Alin was considered the prime suspect given the threatening emails sent to Llewellyn in the preceding weeks along with the Moldovan server connection. However, Alin publicly denied involvement and there was no evidence conclusively linking Alin to the DDoS attack.

 Alin admitted talking to Anthony Roberts on June 14, 2009 about who may have been responsible for the DDoS attack. Alin curiously admitted sharing access to Roberts “PM box” when disclosing details of this conversation with Roberts. 

“Creating” Anonymous Sources to Attack William Llewellyn 

An obscure bodybuilding forum was curiously started on July 8, 2009.  Bodybuildingarea.com prominently promoted personal attacks against William Llewellyn and his wife. An anonymous source identified only as “Juicecop” posted a list of several new unfounded assertions in addition to the ones previously made by Alin and/or Anthony Roberts. 

Anthony Roberts, while denying authorship, quickly reposted Juicecop’s “homework on William Llewellyn” on his blog the very next day. The text of at least one additional post by Juicecop found its way onto Roberts’ blog and revealed private personal information about Llewellyn (coincidentally fulfilling another one of Alin’s threats).

The sudden appearance of a new “anonymous source” to corroborate and coincide with an intensified attack against Llewellyn is highly suspicious to say the least. 

— 

Alin and Anthony Roberts would like to have us believe that, somehow, before they came along, Llewellyn had pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes regarding his expertise, his impartiality and his business practices. However, Llewellyn’s credibility and professional reputation are based on a substantial body of work in the industry.

William Llewellyn’s work stands on its own merit. It is not easily discredited by unfounded rumors and unsubstantiated allegations disseminated by individuals with their own respective conflicts of interest and biases against Llewellyn. 

Threats, intimidation and illegal attempts to censor/influence the information in Llewellyn’s book have failed. The bodybuilding and steroid community are the beneficiaries of Llewellyn’s refusal to respond to the demands of Balkan Pharmaceuticals. 

The publication of lab analyses of black market androgens provides a valuable service to anyone who has any involvement with non-medical steroid users. Any who uses such products should be aware of the risks associated with steroids produced by underground labs and/or illicitly traded on the black market. The risks of counterfeit, illegitimate, contaminated, and/or bogus products should always be acknowledged.

Users of black market androgens should be no less paranoid about the quality of the products than the manufacturers who fear adverse lab results from the quality control testing conducted by William Llewellyn for UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS. 

Disclosure: MESO-Rx currently sells publications written by William Llewellyn and Anthony Roberts. Advertisers on MESO-Rx have previously included companies owned by Alin. Current advertisers may be considered competitors of companies owned by Houca.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

Detective Sergeant Lisa McElhaney was identified as the whistleblower in the most recent “cops and steroids” scandal involving the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) according to the Broward-Palm Beach New Times. Sgt. McElhaney led the investigation of the Lifestyle Rejuvenation Center in 2007 that uncovered suspicions of illegal steroid use by law enforcement in South Florida. McElhaney reported officers to their supervisors at the Plantation Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s Office (”A former cop tells how he and a fellow officer took steroids,” March 31).

McElhaney captured surveillance photos of Alu and Hommel at the clinic and reported them to supervisors at the Plantation department, Hommel says. Both officers were tested for steroids and came up positive, which triggered the internal affairs investigation. [...]

Hommel says that the 16 deputies who recently came under investigation for steroids were tied to the Lifestyle Rejuvenation case. BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal won’t confirm or deny that. In fact, BSO refuses to release the investigative report on the 2005 PowerMedica case in which the eight deputies were cleared.

The Plantation Police conducted an internal affairs investigation into steroid use by Officers Joseph Alu and Martin Hommel. Police Chief Larry Massey cleared the officers accused by BSO Det. McElhaney of illegal steroid use of any wrongdoing in December 2007 (”Plantation’s Police Chief Breaks Records Laws to Cover for Cops on Steroids,” March 24).

The reservations won out; the chief exonerated the officers. The gist of his reasoning was that he believed that the officers had legitimate prescriptions for the steroids and that steroids are “often dispensed for legitimate medical reasons.”

Massey then wrote of how steroids are “gaining widespread acceptance when administered as part of a medically supervised [deleted].”

The chief also wrote that he took a trip to the medical facility (the name was blacked out, of course) where both officers had obtained the steroids. He found that the building “has prominently displayed medical signage.” That wasn’t all that impressed the chief. He also wrote that the officers had “put forth an effort to appear in person at an actual brick and mortar medical facility, to establish a doctor/patient relationship and nothing highly irregular stands here…”

Sgt. McElhaney may have been disappointed by the outcome of the Plantation Police investigation, but she must have been furious at being stonewalled by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. The BSO refused to launch an internal affairs probe into the allegations of steroid use brought forth by Sgt. McElhaney for several months. McElhaney allegedly reported the case to the Broward State Attorney’s Office forcing the BSO to take action. The BSO launched their investigation into suspected steroid use by 16 BSO employees on February 20, 2009.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office has already cleared 9 of the 16 accused BSO employees of wrongdoing. If the seven remaing employees under investigation have tested positive for steriod use, it is likely that they will be exonerated if they obtained steroids with a prescription. Of course, this would come as no surprise since they purportedly obtained steroids from Tropical Pharmacy after obtaining prescriptions via a face-to-face consultation at Lifestyle Rejuvenation!

Eight BSO deputies were accused of illegal steroid use in 2005 when they were identified as customers of the compounding pharmacy PowerMedica by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami. The BSO cleared them of wrongdoing since they possessed prescriptions for steroids.

Sgt. Lisa McElhaney is a long-time veteran of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office with over 15 years experience in the field of pharmaceutical and designer drug diversion investigations. She is currently the supervisor of the Broward County Drug Diversion Unit. Sgt. McElhaney is also the National Secretary of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI).

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger voiced strong opposition to the use of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs in sports during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union with John King”. Schwarzenegger told John King that he thinks athletes, and presumably pro bodybuilders, should come clean and publicly admit their own steroid use as a mistake for the sake of children who view them as role models (”Schwarzenegger: Steroid Use Sends Bad Message,” February 22, 2009) :

“I think it’s important to get the message out that we should not use drugs. I think we have a certain obligation as athletes to inspire young people. When someone wins an Olympic championship or a boxing championship, whatever it may be, you’re not only a champion, but you’re also an inspirational vehicle for young kids and for people in general to stay fit, to lose weight and all of this.

“I think that the message of not using drugs, not using alcohol, all of those things, always out there and inspire young kids. So I think there are some athletes go in that direction because there’s so much competition. I think they need to come out, be clean, and say look, I used that, I made a mistake, or whatever it is and the sports ought to be without drugs. That’s the important thing.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger, as promoter of the Arnold Classic, has previously urged bodybuilding officials to crackdown on steroid use in the IFBB and called a steroid summit with leaders in the industry to institute steroid testing in the sport. This is widely considered as nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Schwarzenegger has publicly admitted his own use of anabolic steroids as a professional bodybuilder as early as 1974. He has never denied his use of steroids and has consistently acknowledged using them during precontest preparation. However, Schwarzenegger’s statements regarding anabolic steroids have not always entirely consistent and have become increasingly more “anti-steroid” particularly since he became governor of California.

Schwarzenegger’s steroid statements have gone from being entirely unapologetic about his responsible and safe use of steroids to characterization’s of his steroid use as stupid experimentation due to ignorance about the dangerous side effects of steroids. Here are some of Arnold’s steroid statements over the years…

Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about steroid use in Barbara Walters interview (1974):

“I take steroids because they help me an extra 5 percent. Women take the (contraception) pill. They are somewhat similar. I do it under a doctor’s supervision.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote about his steroid use in booklet he sold entitled “Arnold: Developing a Mr. Universe Physique” (1977):

“I will not speak for my colleagues, but I will write of my experience with tissue-building drugs. Yes, I have used them, but no, they didn’t make me what I am. Anabolic steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance when cutting up.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses his own steroid use in Playboy interview with Joan Goodman (January 1988):

“I don’t worry about it, because I never took an overdosage. I took them under a doctor’s supervision once a year, six or eight weeks before competition. I was always careful and checked, and I never had any side effects.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger experimented with steroids when they were “new” and quit using them because they “didn’t belong” in his body. He implied only a brief experimentation with steroids when speaking with USA Today after President George H.W. Bush appointed him to President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1990):

“It was new then. There were no laws against it. I experimented with it. I’m instinctive. I felt right away it was not a real thing. I felt something in my system didn’t belong there. I quit.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested he used steroids safely then, unlike contemporary bodybuilders who use steroids, because (a) they were physician-prescribed and not purchased from the black market; (b) they were used only for short six-week cycles; and (c) old-school steroid use amounted to only 5-10% compared to what bodybuilders use nowadays. He contrasted steroid use past and present in an interview with US News & World Reports (1992):

“ In those days you didn’t have to deal with the black market. You could go to your physician and just say, ‘Listen, I want to gain some weight, and I want to take something.’ Then the physician would say, ‘Do it six weeks before competition, then it will be safe.’ And that’s what you would do. The dosage that was taken then versus taken now is not even 10 percent. It’s probably 5 percent.

Arnold Schwarzenegger says that the muscle gains made from steroids are not worth it due since steroid side effects could make you sick in interview with Saturday Evening Post (1993):

“There is no one who has ever gone the long haul relying on drugs. That extra 20 pounds that you may lift from using those steroids is not going to be worth it. But you will know when you get sick and when the side effects come out. I think it is very important that someone like myself who has been there gets that message out.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has no regrets about his responsible, short-term cycling of anabolic steroids while he was bodybuilding competitor in Los Angeles Times (1996):

“ I used steroids. It was a risky thing to do, but I have no regrets. It was what I had to do to compete. The danger with steroids is overusage. I only did it before a difficult competition for two months, but not for a period of time that could harm me. And then afterward, it was over. I would stop. I have no health problems, no kidney damage or anything like that from using them.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is strongly against “dangerous and illegal substances” which presumably include anabolic steroids in “The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding” (1998):

“ Certainly, as someone who is in a position to influence young people, I want to make my position very clear. I am absolutely against the use of these dangerous and illegal substances.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial campaign spokesman Rob Stutzman reveals that Arnold would never have done steroids in the past if he was aware of the side effects (2003):

“ If he knew then what we know now, he wouldn’t have done it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Larry King that his use of steroids as a bodybuilding competitor was “stupid” and he “didn’t know any better” at the time on CNN’s “Larry King Live” (August 10, 2003):

“ I did, yes. But I mean, there was in a time in the late ’60s… It was stupid, because it was in the late ’60s, early ’70s when we didn’t know any better.

Anything when you want to be a champion, you use anything that comes around. If it is food supplements, if it is a tanning booth that is a new idea to get brown, or – the steroids came around at that time, so we tried that.

But then in the late ’70s and in the early ’80s, research was done and you found out that it’s actually damaging, that it causes side effects and it is bad for your health.

And now, of course, I’m traveling around the country telling all the high school kids, don’t take steroids. Don’t take any drugs, because I’m totally anti-drugs, because drugs are only for a temporary kind of a situation.

You get a temporary – you get strength maybe a little bit more, energy a little bit more, a high, or whatever is – but only temporary, not permanent.

What we have to work towards is permanent strength, permanent endurance, a permanent high. And that is – the only way you can do that, if you train hard, the harder you train the better you get. The more you work on your mind – the discipline, the dedication and those things – the better you will get and the longer it will last.

So, no drugs. No drugs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had no regrets about his past steroid use, because he was experimenting with something so new that he presumably wasn’t aware of any potential side effects on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” (February 27, 2005):

“I have no regrets about it, because at that time, it was something new that came on the market, and we went to the doctor and did it under the doctor’s supervision. We were experimenting with it. It was a new thing. So you can’t roll the clock back and say, ‘Now I would change my mind on this.’ ”

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s press secretary Margita Thompson tells the media that the governor believes steroid use is wrong. (”Gov. Doesn’t Regret His Steroid Use,” February 27, 2005):

“The governor feels that the use of illegal steroids is wrong.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger is against any new steroid laws because he believes the current steroid laws are “solid and sound” (”Schwarzenegger urges crackdown on steroid use,” March 6, 2005):

“It has nothing to do with that we don’t have enough laws, because we already have a very solid and sound law that says you’re not allowed to take illegal drugs.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger used his influence at editor of Muscle & Fitness and FLEX magazine to eliminate pro-steroid use articles. He further stated that he has been against the appearance of articles in bodybuilding magazines that promote steroid use for 20-30 years (”Pumping Him Up – Governor’s position as a top editor at a pair of bodybuilding magazines may enhance his political celebrity,” July 16, 2005):

“We have our meetings regularly to talk about which direction we want to go with the sport, which direction we want to go with the fitness promotion, what should be in the magazine, those kinds of issues. The fact is that we are trying to tone down, and I’ve told everybody to not have any articles which promote (steroid use). Twenty or 30 years ago, we did. I was very much against that.”

And this month, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke about steroids on CNN’s State of the Union with John King (”Schwarzenegger: Steroid Use Sends Bad Message,” February 22, 2009) :

“I think it’s important to get the message out that we should not use drugs. I think we have a certain obligation as athletes to inspire young people. When someone wins an Olympic championship or a boxing championship, whatever it may be, you’re not only a champion, but you’re also an inspirational vehicle for young kids and for people in general to stay fit, to lose weight and all of this.

“I think that the message of not using drugs, not using alcohol, all of those things, always out there and inspire young kids. So I think there are some athletes go in that direction because there’s so much competition. I think they need to come out, be clean, and say look, I used that, I made a mistake, or whatever it is and the sports ought to be without drugs. That’s the important thing.”

Photo credit: Muscletime.com 

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

Former amateur bodybuilder Jay McGwire, the youngest brother of baseball player Mark McGwire, is fighting for the honor of being the first person to have introduced and injected Mark McGwire with anabolic steroids. The younger McGwire is trying to sell a manuscript entitled “The McGwire Family Secret: The Truth about Steroids, a Slugger, and Ultimate Redemption” that details Mark McGwire’s use of performance enhancing drugs (”Mark McGwire’s One-Eyed Baby Brother Reveals The Not-So-Startling Truth,” January 21).

“Shortly after I won the Contra Costa Bodybuilding Championships in May of 1994, Mark took the plunge. I accompanied him to Sacramento where we met with my supplier and trainer, who explained to him how the different drugs would work on his body and answered a myriad of questions from Mark. Given Mark’s curiosity and lack of knowledge about steroids I saw from Mark, I would be shocked if Mark did something like what Jose Canseco claimed happened back in the early years….[M]ark began to use, but in low dosages so he wouldn’t lift his way out of baseball. Deca-Durabolin helped with his joint problems and recovery, while growth hormone helped his strength, making him leaner in the process. I became the first person to inject him, like most first-timers he couldn’t plunge in the needle himself. Later a girlfriend injected him.”

Jay McGwire seeks to take credit for designing Big Mac’s first steroid cycle that incorporated Deca Durabolin as well as human growth hormone (HGH). Jay McGwire also took credit for introducing his brother to androstenedione shortly after Associated Press reporter Steve Wilstein published the story “Drug OK in Baseball, Not Olympics” announcing the discovery of the legal anabolic steroid supplement in Mark McGwire’s locker in July 1998 (”Great Chase Turns Into Great Debate,” August 25, 1998).

The McGwires, often mistaken for twins, lived together in Northern California while Mark recovered from the heel and lower back injuries that sidelined him for virtually the entire 1993 and ‘94 seasons, and it was Jay, into bodybuilding since high school, who helped redesign the supplement-aided weightlifting program that helped his brother return bigger and better than ever. [...]

“The key to anything is moderation, but that’s not to say he’s taking steroids because he isn’t.”

Jay McGwire faces stiff competition from others who claim to have provided Mark McGwire with anabolic steroids. Jose Canseco talked about using Deca Durabolin and Winstrol when he and McGwire played with the Oakland A’s as the “Bash Brothers” in 1998 (”Jay McGwire pitching book detailing brother Mark McGwire’s steroid use,” January 21).

In his 2005 book “Juiced,” Jose Canseco wrote that he began injecting Mark McGwire with steroids in 1988, when they were teammates with the Oakland A’s. “I injected Mark in the bathrooms at the (Oakland) Coliseum more times than I can remember,” Canseco said. “Sometimes we did it before batting practice, sometimes afterward. It was no big deal.”

Convicted steroid dealer Curtis Wenzlaff admitted to providing Mark McGwire with Winstrol V, Equipoise and testosterone after he was arrested by Special Agent Greg Stejskal arrested him as part of the FBI Operation Equine (”Who Knew?,” November 9, 2005).

He says he soon picked up McGwire as a client, too. Wenzlaff’s training-session notes show he put McGwire on a mix of Winstrol V, testosterone and the veterinary steroid Equipoise. (McGwire, through a spokesman, declined comment.)

Sources in the Operation Equine steroid investigation even provided specific cycles allegedly used by Mark McGwire (”Hitting the Mark: FBI informants say McGwire was juiced,” March 13, 2005).

The recipe called for 1/2 cc of testosterone cypionate every three days; one cc of testosterone enanthate per week; equipoise and winstrol v, 1/4 cc every three days, injected into the buttocks, one in one cheek, one in the other.

It was the cocktail of a hardcore steroids user, and it is one of the “arrays,” or steroid recipes, Mark McGwire used to become the biggest thing in baseball in the 1990s, sources have told the Daily News.

“My bringing the truth to surface about Mark is out of love,” according to Jay McGwire, “I want Mark to live in truth to see the light, to come to repentance so he can live in freedom—which is the only way to live.” Jay McGwire’s motivations for writing a book about his brother’s steroid and performance-enhancing drug use are highly suspect. Both of his brothers had considerable success in sports – Mark McGwire in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Dan McGwire in the National Football League (NFL) whereas Jay McGwire’s greatest athletic achievement was winning a bodybuilding trophy.

Apparently, Jay McGwire is a born-again Christian who rediscovered God and is doing it out of the goodness of his heart. But it is difficult to believe his motivations arise “out of love” for his brother.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

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.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

Rick Collins, leading steroid legal expert from Collins, McDonald & Gann, has released an analysis of the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 that doubles maximum steroid trafficking sentences. President Bush signed the legislation on October 15, 2008 to “put an end to the illegal sale of highly addictive prescription drugs on the Internet” to “ensure a safer future for our children.”

The legislation amends the Controlled Substances Act to address issues related to internet pharmacies, internet pharmacy prescriptions and the dispensing of controlled substances via the Internet. Even though, the legislation’s namesake was a teenager who overdosed on Vicodin (and not anabolic steroids), the Act represents a continuation in the “war on steroid trafficking.”

Rick Collins specifically looks at the far-reaching consequences for anabolic steroid trafficking cases (”Maximum Steroid Trafficking Sentences to Double,” October 28).

Most importantly, the law increases the maximum sentence for selling anabolic steroids (and other schedule III drugs) from 5 years to 10 years (up to 15 years if use of the drug causes death or serious bodily injury)…

For those with a prior drug conviction, the maximum increases from 10 to 20 years (up to 30 years if use of the drug causes death or serious bodily injury)…

The increase in penalties for tracking anabolic steroids provides additional incentive for prosecutors to pursue steroid-related cases. It is much more attractive to a prosecutor to put a steroid user in prison for several years than merely a few months. We can expect a dramatic increase in the number of steroid-related prosecutions thanks to the Ryan Haight Act.

For steroid users who feel that the draconian sentences will only be reserved for big-time steroid dealers, you should be warned that federal prosecutors have pursued steroid distribution cases against individuals for as few as 10 Dianabol tablets. A steroid possession case can be perceived as a steroid distribution case through the eyes of an overzealous anti-steroid crusading prosecutor.

For more information, read Rick Collins’ article on the doubling of maximum steroid trafficking sentences in addition to the full text of the Ryan Haight Act. The new regulations take effect 180 days after the enactment of the Act.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

Maricopa County Medical Examiner Vladimir Shvarts, M.D. has added anabolic steroid intoxication as a contributing factor in an accidental fatal drug overdose. The cause of death for Aaron Michael Achley was originally attributed to an accidental overdose of the prescription drugs Xanax (alprazolam) and Oxycontin (oxycodone) in addition to the recreational drug Cocaine.

The family of Aaron Achley, ABC15 Investigative Reporter Josh Berstein and Arizona state investigators pressured the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner to change the official cause of death to include steroids. The medical examiner repeatedly refused to conduct additional testing for steroids. However, the medical examiner apparently relented once Doreen Achley, the victim’s mother, paid to have tissue samples tested by an independent lab (”Autopsy amended to include anabolic steroids,” October 24).

The amended “pathological diagnoses” on Aaron Achley’s autopsy identified the drugs responsible for the accidental fatal “Combined drug intoxication.” This time anabolic steroids (allegedly testosterone obtained from Revolution Medical Center) were a contributing factor to the death.

A. Alprazolam 0.35 mg/L.

B. Oxycodone 0.16 mg/L.

C. Blood is positive for cocaine and cocaine metabolites.

D. Abnormal testosterone/epitestosterone ratio (78).

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner has established precedent for anabolic steroid intoxication as an official cause of death in cases of accidental drug overdose. The Maricopa Medical Examiner has become politically guided in their practice of medicine rather than scientifically guided. Certainly, the basis for a fatal steroid overdose is the product of Hollywood, television and emotional steroid hysteria rather than science. We can laugh at the silliness of ridiculous television shows that incredulously tell us characters died from steroid overdoses. But it is no longer funny when the medical community tries to convince use that steroids can cause instant death from a steroid drug overdose.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

Don Hooton, of the Taylor Hooton Foundation and Dr. Michael Scally, M.D., of HPT/Axis Inc., are both urging the medical community to recognize the condition of Anabolic Steroid Induced Hypogonadism (ASIH) and move towards the acceptance of a medical treatment for hypogonadism after androgen cessation. The recent A&E documentary about Jose Canseco’s decision to stop using anabolic steroids has highlighted the problem of androgen induced hypogonadism that can occur after the discontinuation of anabolic steroids.

Dr. Michael Scally has been a long-time critic of the medical establishment’s failure to address the adverse side effects of hypogonadism in steroid users. He is troubled by the lack of medical initiatives seeking to eliminate, shorten, or minimize the period of anabolic-steroid induced hypogonadism. Dr. Scally released a statement expressing his concern about Jose Canseco’s unsuccessful attempts to find effective treatment for ASIH in response to the A&E special on Canseco.

After treating well over one thousand patients for anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism (ASIH), I am concerned about the recent news reports on Mr. Canseco’s attempt to find treatment. From my long and extensive experience with these patents, both due to prescription and nonprescription anabolic steroids, little if anything is typically offered in the way of meaningful therapy. These individuals come to physicians for help and assistance only to find themselves being treated with nothing or the very drug that caused the condition, an anabolic steroid – testosterone. For a number of reasons, these treatments have no support within the published literature yet physicians with good intentions continue to prescribe them. Frightening to almost all nonprescription anabolic steroid users, which includes Mr. Canseco, is they know these treatments are fruitless and place them in the untenable position of knowing more than the treating physician.

Don Hooton believes that his son, Taylor Hooton, suffered from anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism when well-meaning, but uninformed, professionals took Taylor off of anabolic steroids without addressing the hypogonadism. Mr. Hooton was disturbed by his subsequent discovery of the lack of recommended or accepted treatment(s) for ASIH within the medical community. Jose Canseco’s experience with ASIH is a painful reminder of the inability of the medical establishment to offer help and guidance to doctors treating steroid users.

“Canseco’s experience is but one more highly visible example of the serious physical and emotional problems that users experience when withdrawing from anabolic steroid use,” responded Don Hooton. “Further, his inability to find help from the medical community provides more proof that our family doctors are ill prepared to deal with the results of this current epidemic of steroid use. As more and more people decide to get themselves off of this dangerous drug, this problem will only get worse! Much worse.”

In the five years since Taylor’s death, Don Hooton has been at the forefront of efforts to educate adolescents about the unacceptable risks that anabolic steroids pose to them. Hooton has been frustrated that various medical experts from around the country have been unable to offer any medical solutions for the treating the the medical sequelae of ASIH. Thus, it was no surprise that family physicians were unprepared to deal with (adolescent) steroid use.

Dr. Michael Scally, at significant professional risk, has provided medical care for individuals using anabolic steroids since 1995 with a particular clinical/research emphasis on returning his patients to normal physiology after the discontinuation of anabolic steroids. Dr. Scally has presented his medical protocol for the treatment of Anabolic Steroid Induced Hypogonadism before the Endocrine Society, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Sports Medicine, and International Workshop on Adverse Drug Reactions and Lipodystrophy in HIV.

For the greater part of 10 years I have found that the medical treatment provided for the condition termed anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism (ASIH), is nonexistent or ignored by the great majority of medical professionals. As predicted since my entry into this field in 1995 more and more cases of ASIH would appear due to this negligence. 

Ironically, the one physician dedicated to addressing the problem of ASIH was selectively targeted for professional discipline in the aftermath of the Taylor Hooton tragedy.  The lack of “political support for his chosen area of practice” resulted in Dr. Michael Scally’s professional decertification. Undeterred, Dr. Scally continued to work on developing medical therapies for the normalization, functionality, and restoration of hypothalamic pituitary testicular axis (HPTA) following anabolic steroid cessation. While no longer able to directly care for patients, he continues to consult with physicians and assist in the treatment of ASIH.

Dr. Scally was moved by the plight of Jose Canseco and has reached out to Canseco’s physician of record in an effort to work with him on treatment options.

From the news reports and recent A&E special detailing Mr. Canseco’s attempts to return normal testes function I am now concerned for his health and welfare, specifically his life. I have personally treated individuals with severe depression and suicidal ideation. While I do not have the details of Mr. Canseco’s medical history, the information gathered from these public sources is troubling for their similarity to others I have treated. I wish to encourage anyone who has contact with Mr. Canseco to let him know there are treatments that have been successful in the return of testes function after stopping anabolic steroids. Please tell him to contact his physician of record from the A&E special, Brent Michael, M.D. Dr. Michael is in communication with me so that treatment may begin immediately for the possible return of normal testes function.

I had the privilege of introducing Michael Scally to Don Hooton this summer. I only wish that I could have done this while Taylor was still alive. I can only hope that those in the medical community will soon heed calls by Dr. Scally and Mr. Hooton for increased attention to the medical treatment of ASIH.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

The internet domain registrar GoDaddy has started shutting down anabolic steroid-related websites under increasing pressure from a pharmacy special interest group called LegitScript.com. LegitScript.com is an internet pharmacy verification service that approves pharmacies that conform to United States federal and state laws.

The service apparently promotes the internationalization of steroid laws and prescription laws such that international internet pharmacies not subject to U.S. laws are considered illegitimate if they fail to comply. Furthermore, LegitScripts.com has requested that GoDaddy shut down websites that only provide information related to the non-medical use of anabolic steroids; in other words, LegitScripts wants GoDaddy to pull the plug on steroid-related websites that do NOT even sell anabolic steroids but just discuss the use of steroids for bodybuilding purposes.

GoDaddy recently shutdown the following steroid pharmacy websites ominously listing the nameservers as NS1.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM and NS2.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM:

• Axiolabsgear.com and various product websites owned by parent company including primoplex.com, trenaplex.com, haloplex.com, mastaplex.com, methanoplex.com, oxandroplex.com, stanoplex.com, etc.
• Effectivemedications.com and various other websites owned by parent company including buywinstrol.net, buysustanon.org, buyclenbuterol.net, etc
• Body-pharmacy.com and various other websites owned by parent company including Normshop.net, Roid4sale.com, Underground-pharmacy.com, etc

Ivitamins.org appeared to have also been taken down by GoDaddy but it now appears that the owners quickly recognized the actions GoDaddy was taking against other steroid-related websites and initiated a transfer of the domain to another registrar which is currently “pending.” It is unclear whether GoDaddy will now be able to shut down Ivitamins.org at this point.

The exact reasons for GoDaddy’s actions have not been clearly disclosed so the merits of the action can not be full debated. However, it is worth noting that the Anabolic Steroid Control Act and the Ryan Haight Online Consumer Protection Act do not extend to countries outside of the United States although U.S. registrars like GoDaddy may base their actions on U.S. law.

LegitScript.com clearly advocates the internationalization of steroid law claiming the laws of other countries are meaningless and that the physical location of an internet pharmacy is irrelevant. They believe the legality of steriod websites should be judged by US policy. What is illegal in the USA should be illegal all over the world.

What about the fact that anabolic steroids are actually legal without a prescription in some countries? Even if the seller is located in that country, and therefore not violating that country’s law, two things are clear: first, the drugs are being marketed and made available to residents of the United States, where the illegality of anabolic steroids, without a prescription, is well-established, and second, the domain name registrars in question, being physically located within the United States, should consider US law to define what is “illegal” for purposes of the terms of their User Agreements, and take action accordingly.

Philip Sweitzer articulated serious concerns with the “internationalization of 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…

GoDaddy may have just become a participant in the politicized international anti-steroid efforts.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

William Llewellyn and Ashley Vincent Livingston have been both involved in the underground anabolic steroid market for over a decade. Llewellyn chose a legal path writing and reporting on the illicit androgen market whereas Livingston (better known as Redicat) chose to participate as a producer and distributor of anabolic steroids sold on the black market. Redicat was responsible for the introduction of “Paper Anabolics” that was explicitly created to pass undetected through customs controls into the United States.

In August 2000 Redi Cat announced on the boards that the new steroid revolution had come about in the shape of Paper Anabolics – a concept first discussed between Redi Cat’s associate and the late steroid guru, Dan Duchaine.

Redicat purportedly made millions of dollars in his chosen profession manufacturing and distributing PaperBol (Methandienone), PaperStrol (Stanazolol), PaperDrol (Oxymetholone), PaperVar (Oxandrolone), PaperHalo (fluoxymesterone), PaperPrimo (methenolone), etc. He was arrested in Thailand after a major international bust that involved the British Dragon cofounder Edwin Crawley in March 2008.

Anthony Roberts recently posted in his blog that William Llewellyn had betrayed Redicat several years ago in 2002 by publishing details about Redicat’s Paper Anabolics products that included detailed photographs. The alleged betrayal was based on information posted by prominent members of the Anabolex forum who thought that Llewellyn published the photos without Redicat’s permission.

One of the first things they did was to print photos of Redicat’s Paper Anabolics. This came about when Summers/Harcourt and Llewellyn actually got the samples and information on how they are produced by talking to Redicat, who was the first guy to put them on the market. Long-Story-Short, they quickly betrayed Redicat, by publishing photos of the products, and in addition putting the instructions on how to make them in the book.

The truth about William Llewellyn and Redicat is that they were on good terms. Based on email correspondences between Llewellyn and Redicat, it is clear that Redicat expressly wanted Llewellyn to publish photos of Paper Anabolics products.

Sorry about the “heat” you have been receiving over at the Anabolex – being that Admin and most of the mods are on real friendly terms with me and have always been ready to support RC and the products we carry, I guess they are just trying to be protective.

[...]

When I find out what’s going on and Admin gets back to me I will endeavor to smooth things over for you – bottom line is I gave you permission to use that photo having given it careful consideration, so anyone knocking you for it is a little out of line. (emphasis added)

Naturally though, in line with what the other guy suggested, I can only hope that my decision to let that photo fly has not set the cat among the (DEA) birds, if you’ll forgive the pun.

While William Llewellyn often receives “heat” for his lab analyses e.g. toxic metals contamination in underground lab steroids, there is no “smoke” from the alleged betrayal of Redicat.  Reporting on black market androgens is challenging due the illicit commercial nature of the underground steroid trade. In addition, the underground community’s desire to keep the trade secretive often conflicts with the need to protect consumers with information aimed at harm reduction.

But as our “feline friend” thanked Llewellyn in an email for the “time, thought and energy… invested” in the publication of photos of Redicat’s Paper Anabolics, we should also be grateful for the intellectual and financial investment William Llewellyn provides in the name of harm reduction for steroid consumers.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail