Research Paper: Legalizing Testosterone

Hey guys,

I’m a college student currently writing a paper on why steroids (specifically testosterone) should be legalized and made available to Males of a proper age. So far I have sources about HRT and how the use of testosterone can be used as an effective birth control option. However, I was hoping if anyone could tell me if they know of any sources on a few specific topics:

  • Health benefits to higher levels of testosterone
  • Disbanding myths about steroids (ie roid rage)

any article that could help my argument to why testosterone should be legalized would be greatly appreciated as there is a lot of bias sources floating around the internet. Thanks!

Not sure if this will help at all, or if you’ve seen it or not, but the movie “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” has a lot of good stuff on both sides of the argument. Could be some valid responses for you…

I am using Bigger, Faster, Stronger as a source in my paper. It covers a lot but unfortunately only counts as one source. I need 10 sources for a 15 page paper.

Awesome movie btw.

You should go around on pubmed. If you want reliable sources, research articles are the way to go. If you’re a college student you should be able to access a large amount of full-text stuff free using your college library membership or your student name/password combination.

Many colleges have separate databases of their own that you can search locally.

There are research papers out there that show that the existence of “roid rage” due to doses of Testosterone is a myth. I don’t really feel like looking up the cites, but I’ve read at least 2 of them. I think the upper dose used in one of them was something like 600 or 800 mg/ week, which is quite substantial.

Testosterone modulates the immune system, the muscular system, and the CNS among other things. So I’d look into that.

[quote]Aragorn wrote:
You should go around on pubmed. If you want reliable sources, research articles are the way to go. If you’re a college student you should be able to access a large amount of full-text stuff free using your college library membership or your student name/password combination.

Many colleges have separate databases of their own that you can search locally.

There are research papers out there that show that the existence of “roid rage” due to doses of Testosterone is a myth. I don’t really feel like looking up the cites, but I’ve read at least 2 of them. I think the upper dose used in one of them was something like 600 or 800 mg/ week, which is quite substantial.

Testosterone modulates the immune system, the muscular system, and the CNS among other things. So I’d look into that. [/quote]

Thanks. That gave me a few specifics that might help me find some articles.

Health arguments suffer the weakness, unless addressed, that testosterone is already legal for these purposes when prescribed by a doctor.

To make the health argument, it would be necessary to argue that the law should not require a person to have a prescription from a physician to be able to use testosterone.

That would inherently be a matter of opinion not too amenable to any really intellectual discussion. The philosophical issues boil down fairly briefly I think.

Also as a matter of terminology, testosterone is not illegal and its use being “legalized” is not an issue.

What potentially could be treated as an issue is its unprescribed use, or possession without a prescription or DEA permit being legalized.

You should repost in the, over 35 lifter. Lots of experience there.

Testosterone has been shown NOT to be effective as a birth control device (off the top of my head I believe trials yielded an 80% effective rate of prevention of pregnancy…not very good numbers).

If I were going to go about trying to convince the general public (or policymakers, or whomever) that testosterone should be fully decriminalized and regulated, I would probably focus more upon debunking the many MANY myths, half-truths and outright lies surrounding testosterone. Knock all of the supporting legs from their table. Also you would want to make sure and differentiate between testosterone and other AAS, such as trenbolone or nandrolone, which will have decidedly different effects upon administration. Break down the opposition to test first, then focus upon the others.

An example that always pisses me off is the Benoit case, in which his son was alleged to have “track marks” on his arms (suggesting that someone was injecting him with steroids?! OH NOZERS!!!11!11!23400!). Track marks would be indicative of intravenous injections, which is sure as shit something you do NOT want to do with testosterone. That’s just one stupid example.

Aragorn’s suggestion of Pub-Med is a good one because you can find studies that debunk the myths.

Check your school’s library page, they probably have a bunch of databases and journals you can search through.

Also try Google scholar.

Unfortunately I think the situation for test is pretty hopeless.

You need to be a responsible user that knows about proper cycling, dosages, administration, nursery injection procedures, possible complications, prevention methods etc…

You need an informed and intelligent user. Not gonna happen. Even here on this board we have morons going forward with insane self-sabotaging cycles for shits and giggles. I don’t believe it can be fully unregulated. However I do believe in a testosterone driver’s license with a study course, knowledge test and ID card which grants you the right to buy and administer test and derivatives. The packages would be beginner’s 500 test-e, dbol cycles etc…

Try convincing a doctor you don’t need his prescription. Taking food out of most life-prolongation clinic’s mouths. You would be satan since you take their easy money.

So to conclude

  1. A testosterone driver’s license could be government issued. If you get big pharma into the idea you have a winner.

  2. Convincing doctors that patients will come to them for help with administration, liver values, blood tests etc… and they will also be happy.

The anarchy solutions such as make it free are just not gonna happen since there is too much money at stake.

funmetal

[quote]Cortes wrote:
Testosterone has been shown NOT to be effective as a birth control device (off the top of my head I believe trials yielded an 80% effective rate of prevention of pregnancy…not very good numbers).

If I were going to go about trying to convince the general public (or policymakers, or whomever) that testosterone should be fully decriminalized and regulated, I would probably focus more upon debunking the many MANY myths, half-truths and outright lies surrounding testosterone. Knock all of the supporting legs from their table. Also you would want to make sure and differentiate between testosterone and other AAS, such as trenbolone or nandrolone, which will have decidedly different effects upon administration. Break down the opposition to test first, then focus upon the others.

An example that always pisses me off is the Benoit case, in which his son was alleged to have “track marks” on his arms (suggesting that someone was injecting him with steroids?! OH NOZERS!!!11!11!23400!). Track marks would be indicative of intravenous injections, which is sure as shit something you do NOT want to do with testosterone. That’s just one stupid example.

Aragorn’s suggestion of Pub-Med is a good one because you can find studies that debunk the myths.

[/quote]

I’ll definitly try and find some studies to debunk the major myths.

It pisses me off when people say that “so and so” died of steroids when there is most of the time some other underlying reason.

[quote]funmetal wrote:
Unfortunately I think the situation for test is pretty hopeless.

You need to be a responsible user that knows about proper cycling, dosages, administration, nursery injection procedures, possible complications, prevention methods etc…

You need an informed and intelligent user. Not gonna happen. Even here on this board we have morons going forward with insane self-sabotaging cycles for shits and giggles. I don’t believe it can be fully unregulated. However I do believe in a testosterone driver’s license with a study course, knowledge test and ID card which grants you the right to buy and administer test and derivatives. The packages would be beginner’s 500 test-e, dbol cycles etc…

Try convincing a doctor you don’t need his prescription. Taking food out of most life-prolongation clinic’s mouths. You would be satan since you take their easy money.

So to conclude

  1. A testosterone driver’s license could be government issued. If you get big pharma into the idea you have a winner.

  2. Convincing doctors that patients will come to them for help with administration, liver values, blood tests etc… and they will also be happy.

The anarchy solutions such as make it free are just not gonna happen since there is too much money at stake.

funmetal[/quote]

That is an interesting idea. Unfortunately that day is far away with how things are going right now

[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
Health arguments suffer the weakness, unless addressed, that testosterone is already legal for these purposes when prescribed by a doctor.

To make the health argument, it would be necessary to argue that the law should not require a person to have a prescription from a physician to be able to use testosterone.

That would inherently be a matter of opinion not too amenable to any really intellectual discussion. The philosophical issues boil down fairly briefly I think.

Also as a matter of terminology, testosterone is not illegal and its use being “legalized” is not an issue.

What potentially could be treated as an issue is its unprescribed use, or possession without a prescription or DEA permit being legalized.[/quote]

Well arguing in terms of health I would say that because of the current witch hunt regarding steroids physicians are less apt to prescribe to those that may need it. It is from my understanding and reading that one must have very low Test levels to be even considered for TRT. God help you if your on the low end but not low enough. Doctors hear all this stuff in the news and about other doctors getting busted for prescribing steroids and they will think twice about prescribing to someone who many truly need it. Yet they will prescribe things that are a hundred times worse for you if the symptoms are even slightly present.

As for decriminalizing testosterone I think that the regulations on it should be less strict. I believe that those that want to use should be able to under the supervision of a doctor or something similar to the Test ID that FunMetal thought of.

Before you go too far into the actual medical research, have you read Warhorse’s Steroid Newbie Thread (or at least the first few pages)? I imagine that would provide an excellent laymen introduction so you understand the general vocabulary and have some perspective on the published papers.

Another angle is the fact that women can get hormone replacement therapy with almost no questions asked, even girls in jr. high! While for me, the process is long and, as you noted, fret with pitfalls for both doctors and potential patients.

Hell, it is often easier for a woman to get a script for test (for a sex change operation) than it is for a man with a legitimate natural test deficiency.

Google scholar set to your school’s library access will help you find a lotttt of research articles and publications

[quote]Cortes wrote:
Another angle is the fact that women can get hormone replacement therapy with almost no questions asked, even girls in jr. high! While for me, the process is long and, as you noted, fret with pitfalls for both doctors and potential patients.

Hell, it is often easier for a woman to get a script for test (for a sex change operation) than it is for a man with a legitimate natural test deficiency.[/quote]

Wow. Ok that’s insane. Talk about double standards.

i wrote a paper about this and nowall the profs in my major hate me, here’s the actual paper

In this paper I will call to question myths of steroid use in sports. I will highlight some of the medical benefits of the drugs. The media?s and government?s push of misleading ideas will be the main focus of the paper. I am going to defend the use of anabolic steroids.

? Steroids are immoral ? ;? Santa Clause lives at the North Pole? ; ? Iraq has weapons of Mass Destruction?. Do you find it odd that if something is spouted by the media enough, we take it as automatic truth? When a person mentions anabolic enhancements, they usually are met with stares, -as if they said they eat live kittens. Why?

In recent years, during the crusade against steroids, all things associated with them have been demonized. The most shocking point of the matter is that there is no real scientific proof that steroids are a detriment to an individual?s well being. If there is, is it provided by a neutral source ? Or is it the same one sided effort to brainwash society with horror stories of cancer, impotence, and the myth of ?Roid Rage?. ( steroid induced psychotic behavior)

I blame the media and government for the epidemic of steroid hysteria. I also find fault with physicians who are not fighting to incorporate steroid use in medicine at a higher volume. The fact is the media makes its money on sensationalized stories ( i.e. Steve Bennoit, Bill Romanowski , etc.) Also our government doesn?t want to fund proper analysis of each steroid, so they categorically condemn all of them.

According to Steve Bennoit?s autopsy, the WWE star was loaded with xanax and hydrocodine. The combination of these two medicines are enough to cause an unusual state of mind, without a steroid being involved… However, the coroner found a steroid in Bennoit?s blood and automatically ? Roid Rage ? was the only logical answer. On to Romo, the ex-Oakland Raider, attributed his violence to steroid use but what went unaccounted for was his well documented cocaine addiction. Name anyone who has had alleged psychosis due to steroids, they were most likely using another reality bending drug as well.

I intend to defend the use of steroids by competent adults. I wll provide the benefits that come with anabolic supplementation. Also, I will address the popular views on steroids in sports. This report does not condone the use of anabolic steroids by children ( unless in treatment of disease ) as their bodies have not matured enough to breakdown some synthetic compounds.

This is the universal pattern of Geriatric Protein Deficit. When we age we lose muscle mass. Loss of muscle mass leads to weak bodies. Weak bodies do not have the energy to carry out life necessities like eating and can lead to premature death.

Doctors are ignorantly trying to implement high protein diets to the elderly. In theory it sounds like a great idea, this blindly looks at one blazing question. That question is ? If someone is to weak to get out of bed, how are they going to consume the recommended two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight ? ?. Even if an elderly individual managed to ingest the recommended amount of protein, chances are their digestive system is in a nonfunctional state, which defeats the purpose. Dr. Robert Demling,Directotor of Brigham Hospital, has found that allowing seniors to be treated with steroids can increase protein synthesis and retention, increase muscle tone, and provide a sense of well being. A sense of well being and confidence can greatly add to productivity and lead to healthier decision making.

A 1962 study done by Kiegle and Felling found that testosterone therapy has some positive benefits. Among them are increased contractile heart muscle. Increased arterial blood flow, and positive effects on cholesterol. Psychological recovery from heart surgeries is also a plus of steroid use. It is widely noted that heart problems reduce the abilty to adequately supply the brain with blood. Blood shortages in the brain lead to loss of memory, stroke, and death. The point, steroids are catalysts of protein synthesis; the more protein made and retained in the heart; the stronger the heart becomes.

Blood clotting disorders such as hemophilia and anemia are also two selling points of steroid use. Two compounds in particular are highlight worthy, Nandrolone and Stanzolol. Both have been shown that in small doses given in periodic intervals can produce red and white blood cells as well as platlets. These drugs offer freedom as they are not a constant reminder of illness, they only require 50- 150 mg per week to be fully effective.

 Many forward thinking doctors, including Lisa Stevens MD, are treating AIDS with the drug  oxandrolone.;which  produces rapid weight gain and retention. While oxandrolone will not cure AIDS, it will restore the physical abilities of its victims. Returning to functionality will restore a person?s will to live. AIDS is not this drugs limit, as any chronic mass wasting condition is suitable for oxandrolone therapy.

Kidney and liver disease are also victories for steroids. Anabolcs can promote healing by replenishing tubules . Also kidney patients are restricted to low protein diets, as in the case of GPD, protein synthesis due to steroids can sustain body function on restricted intake ability.

When it comes to muscle and bone, steroids are obviously big time players. Denis Mann MD. Says the use of anabolics can prevent osteoporosis and rapidly heal bone fractures. The effects on bone largely comes from a restoration of calcium which becomes depleted in certain situations. What is most notable, again is the fact that nandrolone does not require daily dosing. Also, even more encouraging, there is a promising emergence of this therapy; which means possibilities can open up for other treatment using steroids. . For muscular dystrophy, oxandrolone is a good option of treatment. Especially for children because it does bot produce masculine features. MD is not cureable by oxandrolone therapy, but it can definitely improve strength and mobility of people who suffer from it.

Since chemo-therapy is a brutal cycle of mass wasting, oxandrolone is in favor again. A study by Dr. S. Richards revealed increased energy and stength as well of a healthier appearance that come along with anabolic therapy can help patients psychologically and physiologically deal with radiation treatments. The simple fact is that with improved strength comes longer life expectancy.

Anabolic steroids have some life saving potential. Think of all the disease in our world ; altzheimer?s. diabettes, blindness, even the ones pointed out in this paper. With proper research, treatments,. possibly cures can arise. It is a shame that we allow ourselves to informed by the recklessly uninformed.

I am not completely ignoring arguments against steroidal therapy, as they have some possible truths. I realize that all drugs have some side effects. You need to realize that powerful people in high places are not always worth paying attention to. Test my opinion, answer these questions. Are eggs good or bad? How much water do we really need per day?

It?s common to hear statements like ? steroids in sports are immoral ?. This idea seems to imply that sports are moral. Sports are not God-given, they are games! Every game in history has had people find unnatural ways to gain advantages. So to say steroids are immoral, is to say that football cleats are immoral too. There is no push against altitude training or sleep in hypobaric chambers, both raise hemoglobin levels to unnatural ranges.

People who use the ? bad role model ? claim as a shot against steroids are blind hypocrits. Here?s why. An athlete has to tesify before congress for steroid use; but sexual assaults get a slap on the wrist. Drunk driving gets a two game suspension, drug dealing gets a four month suspension, even attemted murder has a lighter penealty than steroid use. Sporting authorities are sending the wrong message to kids by attacking steroids. Instead of optimizing potential by permitting steroid use, they are creating a criminal mindset by allowing criminals to represent their teams.

There is no way fans will lose interest in sports. For the last fifteen years MLB attendance has skyrocketed. The ?steroid era? has produced the most exciting baseball in history. Bonds, Sosa, and Palmero are huge stars in the league. The point is people love home runs. People want to see the hardest tackles, highest jumping, and most shocking knockouts possible.

Everyone?s favorite ? steroids lead to unfair games? ,not true at all. What causes unfair play is unequal opportunity for all participants to obtain equal services. Common knowledge points out that steroids are everywhere and anyone has access to them. Just to be fair though. Shouldn?t training and coaching be thrown out too? Some coaches are better than others and some training programs are better than others. Since the best coach can?t train every team doesn?t that create unequal play? Here is some hypocracy for you to think about, the MLB?s New York Yankees have a salary cap that triples any other team in the league. How fair is that?

The claim against steroids are viciously overstated. There are so many articles about steroid related cancer, stroke and savage gummy bear cravings all over the news. What you won?t find is a single peer reviewed article in a respected scientific journal that backs up any claim. I?ll wait while you look for one. Hurry, name one athlete who has had a death purely from steroid use. There aren?t any so anti-anabolic factions make them up. NFL star Lyle Alzado was found diagnosed with a brain tumor that had no documented relation to his steroid use, but instantly it was on the front cover of Sports illustrated and The New York Times. Again, not one word of evidence from any authority in the field.

People believe that having a high testosterone level leads to negatives in mood and sexual health. While it is true that increasing testosterone levels does decrease the size of a male?s testicles, size returns to normal within a week, with no harm done. When T levels are elevated, violence is not a side effect. The product of high levels are confidence and a sense of well being. Studies have shown that testosterone in many cases relaxes those suffering from over aggressive behavior and anxiety.

We allow people to do risky things all the time. Even if all the steroid rumors were true, shouldn?t it be up to the individual to take the risk? If safety was really a concern, most sports should be banned, wrestling, football, and boxing are examples. There are everyday activities like driving a car that have a higher mortality rate than steroids. Let?s have Henry Ford?s family testify in Congress for all the people who have died in car crashes. Also, a final question to consider: at the end of the day, do you really care if someone takes steroids? Why?

? Whether the use of steroids is unhealthful or not, people do not have the right to deprive those who wish to run the risks access to these drugs. Steroid use should be legal and, at the very least, decriminalized. The medical evidence is not clear but the best indicators are that the dangers of steroid use are exaggerated. The argument that steroid users have an unfair competitive advantage over nonusers turns out to be superficial and false?. Sidney Gendin Ph.D.

Hmm, well, I suppose it depends on the paper and the professors what the outcome is. My paper on the subject in my first year of graduate school was quite well received, for example. So a bad reception is not inevitable.

I don’t have the original, but there is an Internet version that is 99%-plus close to being identical: http://www.mesomorphosis.com/articles/pharmacology/history-of-anabolic-steroids.htm

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
i wrote a paper about this and nowall the profs in my major hate me, here’s the actual paper

In this paper I will call to question myths of steroid use in sports. I will highlight some of the medical benefits of the drugs. The media?s and government?s push of misleading ideas will be the main focus of the paper. I am going to defend the use of anabolic steroids.

? Steroids are immoral ? ;? Santa Clause lives at the North Pole? ; ? Iraq has weapons of Mass Destruction?. Do you find it odd that if something is spouted by the media enough, we take it as automatic truth? When a person mentions anabolic enhancements, they usually are met with stares, -as if they said they eat live kittens. Why?

In recent years, during the crusade against steroids, all things associated with them have been demonized. The most shocking point of the matter is that there is no real scientific proof that steroids are a detriment to an individual?s well being. If there is, is it provided by a neutral source ? Or is it the same one sided effort to brainwash society with horror stories of cancer, impotence, and the myth of ?Roid Rage?. ( steroid induced psychotic behavior)

I blame the media and government for the epidemic of steroid hysteria. I also find fault with physicians who are not fighting to incorporate steroid use in medicine at a higher volume. The fact is the media makes its money on sensationalized stories ( i.e. Steve Bennoit, Bill Romanowski , etc.) Also our government doesn?t want to fund proper analysis of each steroid, so they categorically condemn all of them.

According to Steve Bennoit?s autopsy, the WWE star was loaded with xanax and hydrocodine. The combination of these two medicines are enough to cause an unusual state of mind, without a steroid being involved… However, the coroner found a steroid in Bennoit?s blood and automatically ? Roid Rage ? was the only logical answer. On to Romo, the ex-Oakland Raider, attributed his violence to steroid use but what went unaccounted for was his well documented cocaine addiction. Name anyone who has had alleged psychosis due to steroids, they were most likely using another reality bending drug as well.

I intend to defend the use of steroids by competent adults. I wll provide the benefits that come with anabolic supplementation. Also, I will address the popular views on steroids in sports. This report does not condone the use of anabolic steroids by children ( unless in treatment of disease ) as their bodies have not matured enough to breakdown some synthetic compounds.

This is the universal pattern of Geriatric Protein Deficit. When we age we lose muscle mass. Loss of muscle mass leads to weak bodies. Weak bodies do not have the energy to carry out life necessities like eating and can lead to premature death.

Doctors are ignorantly trying to implement high protein diets to the elderly. In theory it sounds like a great idea, this blindly looks at one blazing question. That question is ? If someone is to weak to get out of bed, how are they going to consume the recommended two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight ? ?. Even if an elderly individual managed to ingest the recommended amount of protein, chances are their digestive system is in a nonfunctional state, which defeats the purpose. Dr. Robert Demling,Directotor of Brigham Hospital, has found that allowing seniors to be treated with steroids can increase protein synthesis and retention, increase muscle tone, and provide a sense of well being. A sense of well being and confidence can greatly add to productivity and lead to healthier decision making.

A 1962 study done by Kiegle and Felling found that testosterone therapy has some positive benefits. Among them are increased contractile heart muscle. Increased arterial blood flow, and positive effects on cholesterol. Psychological recovery from heart surgeries is also a plus of steroid use. It is widely noted that heart problems reduce the abilty to adequately supply the brain with blood. Blood shortages in the brain lead to loss of memory, stroke, and death. The point, steroids are catalysts of protein synthesis; the more protein made and retained in the heart; the stronger the heart becomes.

Blood clotting disorders such as hemophilia and anemia are also two selling points of steroid use. Two compounds in particular are highlight worthy, Nandrolone and Stanzolol. Both have been shown that in small doses given in periodic intervals can produce red and white blood cells as well as platlets. These drugs offer freedom as they are not a constant reminder of illness, they only require 50- 150 mg per week to be fully effective.

 Many forward thinking doctors, including Lisa Stevens MD, are treating AIDS with the drug  oxandrolone.;which  produces rapid weight gain and retention. While oxandrolone will not cure AIDS, it will restore the physical abilities of its victims. Returning to functionality will restore a person?s will to live. AIDS is not this drugs limit, as any chronic mass wasting condition is suitable for oxandrolone therapy.

Kidney and liver disease are also victories for steroids. Anabolcs can promote healing by replenishing tubules . Also kidney patients are restricted to low protein diets, as in the case of GPD, protein synthesis due to steroids can sustain body function on restricted intake ability.

When it comes to muscle and bone, steroids are obviously big time players. Denis Mann MD. Says the use of anabolics can prevent osteoporosis and rapidly heal bone fractures. The effects on bone largely comes from a restoration of calcium which becomes depleted in certain situations. What is most notable, again is the fact that nandrolone does not require daily dosing. Also, even more encouraging, there is a promising emergence of this therapy; which means possibilities can open up for other treatment using steroids. . For muscular dystrophy, oxandrolone is a good option of treatment. Especially for children because it does bot produce masculine features. MD is not cureable by oxandrolone therapy, but it can definitely improve strength and mobility of people who suffer from it.

Since chemo-therapy is a brutal cycle of mass wasting, oxandrolone is in favor again. A study by Dr. S. Richards revealed increased energy and stength as well of a healthier appearance that come along with anabolic therapy can help patients psychologically and physiologically deal with radiation treatments. The simple fact is that with improved strength comes longer life expectancy.

Anabolic steroids have some life saving potential. Think of all the disease in our world ; altzheimer?s. diabettes, blindness, even the ones pointed out in this paper. With proper research, treatments,. possibly cures can arise. It is a shame that we allow ourselves to informed by the recklessly uninformed.

I am not completely ignoring arguments against steroidal therapy, as they have some possible truths. I realize that all drugs have some side effects. You need to realize that powerful people in high places are not always worth paying attention to. Test my opinion, answer these questions. Are eggs good or bad? How much water do we really need per day?

It?s common to hear statements like ? steroids in sports are immoral ?. This idea seems to imply that sports are moral. Sports are not God-given, they are games! Every game in history has had people find unnatural ways to gain advantages. So to say steroids are immoral, is to say that football cleats are immoral too. There is no push against altitude training or sleep in hypobaric chambers, both raise hemoglobin levels to unnatural ranges.

People who use the ? bad role model ? claim as a shot against steroids are blind hypocrits. Here?s why. An athlete has to tesify before congress for steroid use; but sexual assaults get a slap on the wrist. Drunk driving gets a two game suspension, drug dealing gets a four month suspension, even attemted murder has a lighter penealty than steroid use. Sporting authorities are sending the wrong message to kids by attacking steroids. Instead of optimizing potential by permitting steroid use, they are creating a criminal mindset by allowing criminals to represent their teams.

There is no way fans will lose interest in sports. For the last fifteen years MLB attendance has skyrocketed. The ?steroid era? has produced the most exciting baseball in history. Bonds, Sosa, and Palmero are huge stars in the league. The point is people love home runs. People want to see the hardest tackles, highest jumping, and most shocking knockouts possible.

Everyone?s favorite ? steroids lead to unfair games? ,not true at all. What causes unfair play is unequal opportunity for all participants to obtain equal services. Common knowledge points out that steroids are everywhere and anyone has access to them. Just to be fair though. Shouldn?t training and coaching be thrown out too? Some coaches are better than others and some training programs are better than others. Since the best coach can?t train every team doesn?t that create unequal play? Here is some hypocracy for you to think about, the MLB?s New York Yankees have a salary cap that triples any other team in the league. How fair is that?

The claim against steroids are viciously overstated. There are so many articles about steroid related cancer, stroke and savage gummy bear cravings all over the news. What you won?t find is a single peer reviewed article in a respected scientific journal that backs up any claim. I?ll wait while you look for one. Hurry, name one athlete who has had a death purely from steroid use. There aren?t any so anti-anabolic factions make them up. NFL star Lyle Alzado was found diagnosed with a brain tumor that had no documented relation to his steroid use, but instantly it was on the front cover of Sports illustrated and The New York Times. Again, not one word of evidence from any authority in the field.

People believe that having a high testosterone level leads to negatives in mood and sexual health. While it is true that increasing testosterone levels does decrease the size of a male?s testicles, size returns to normal within a week, with no harm done. When T levels are elevated, violence is not a side effect. The product of high levels are confidence and a sense of well being. Studies have shown that testosterone in many cases relaxes those suffering from over aggressive behavior and anxiety.

We allow people to do risky things all the time. Even if all the steroid rumors were true, shouldn?t it be up to the individual to take the risk? If safety was really a concern, most sports should be banned, wrestling, football, and boxing are examples. There are everyday activities like driving a car that have a higher mortality rate than steroids. Let?s have Henry Ford?s family testify in Congress for all the people who have died in car crashes. Also, a final question to consider: at the end of the day, do you really care if someone takes steroids? Why?

? Whether the use of steroids is unhealthful or not, people do not have the right to deprive those who wish to run the risks access to these drugs. Steroid use should be legal and, at the very least, decriminalized. The medical evidence is not clear but the best indicators are that the dangers of steroid use are exaggerated. The argument that steroid users have an unfair competitive advantage over nonusers turns out to be superficial and false?. Sidney Gendin Ph.D.

[/quote]

This makes alot of great points. It funny how a person can die and be a coke head but if they took steroids then they have to be to blame. jeez some people.