Most Steroid Users Take Drugs For Self Improvement - Pulled from Muscular Developement

Lawmakers passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act to discourage teenage athletes from using steroids. Since 1984, more than 10 studies found that steroid use in high school students has never been higher than 4 percent. According to a study by Jason Cohen and colleagues, the average nonmedical user of steroids is in his early 30s and takes the drugs for self-improvement. Most steroid users seek to increase strength, muscle mass and physical attractiveness and decrease body fat. They follow structured diets and exercise programs and do not play sports. Most are well educated and employed and take the drugs as part of a health-centered lifestyle. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the possession or sale of anabolic steroids without a valid prescription is illegal and carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine. This law is bad public policy that targets hard-working tax-paying Americans trying to improve themselves. (Journal International Society of Sports Nutrition, in press; October 2007)