Anabolic Steroids

The Anabolic steroid control act of 2004 was passed by President Bush on 22nd October 2004. This act was ratified by the Congress and was an expansion of steroid law that was passed in 1990. As per this new law a budget of $15 million has been provided for educating children regarding anabolic steroids and their dangers. This act has directed the sentencing commission in the United States to take into consideration possibility of revising guidelines so as to increase penalties for possession and distribution of steroids.

As per the anabolic steroid control act of 2004 the list of substances legally defined to be anabolic steroids have additions. So 26 new steroids have been added to the list and as per this the anabolic steroids are declared to be Schedule III drugs. Possession of these products will lead to arrest and consequent prosecution of the person under the federal law.

The new act provided for control on some anabolic steroids that were not included in the original legislation. However quite a few of these new additions are pro-hormones that were distributed as a replacement for those steroids that were banned.

The new compounds that have been added to the banned list as per the anabolic steroid control act of 2004 include androstenediol, 4-hydroxytestosterone, calusterone, androstanedione, bolasterone, 1-testosterone, 4-hydroxytestosterone, methyldienolone, norandrostenedione, 17a-methyl-3b,17b-dihydroxy-5a-androstane, stenbolone, 13b-ethyl-17a-hydroxygon-4-en-3-one, normethandrolone, norbolethone, furazabo, norclostebol and tetrahydrogestrinone among others.

As per the anabolic steroid control act of 2004 the definition of an anabolic steroid has been changed and the earlier requirement of the steroid ‘promoting muscle growth’ has been removed. This is done so as to accommodate and control consumption of the newer designer version of steroids. As per the changes in the new law the steroid is not required to be anabolic.

Under the new anabolic steroid control act of 2004 the Attorney general is required to establish a compound to be pharmacologically and chemically related to testosterone. In the old law the attorney general had the right to schedule new steroids without approval from Congress. But the old law required the compound to be an anabolic steroid and this has been removed from the new law.

As per the new law any person in possession of steroids can be prosecuted and face imprisonment of up to a period of 2 years.