From On the Court to In the Courts- Legal Issues with Steroid Abuse

By Charles Geier-
E-mail: Charlie.geier@gmail.com

Anabolic steroids are considered a controlled substance in the United States. This means they are illegal to use, possess, or sell without a doctor’s prescription. People who break these laws are subject to arrest and prosecution.Please vote in the polls below, then click "Read More" to continue on to the full article, which includes several links to articles about steroids in the news.

How Should Steroids be Classified and Regulated?
	Similar to "hard drugs" like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine
	Like legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco
	Like prescription medicines
	Like over the counter medicines
	They should not be regulated
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Legal cases involving steroids have recently become more prevalent in the national media. In the wake of the steroid scandal involving Barry Bonds, there have been several cases which can or have resulted in jail time for steroid offenders.

Links to some of these stories can be found below. These articles are linked to here to give the reader an understanding of some of the cases which have made their way into the mainstream media.

Doctor for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers-
Track and Field Sprinting Coach-
BALCO Cosmetic Steroid Developer-

Bonds is alleged to have received illegal performance enhancers from the Bay Area Laboratory Company (BALCO).

BALCO founder Victor Conte began a four-month prison sentence on Thursday, Dec. 1, and a further four months home confinement for his role in a scheme to give athletes undetectable performance-enhancing drugs,

Bonds' trainer Greg Anderson was also convicted of money laundering and steroid distribution and was also sentenced to three months in prison. He faced additional jail time for refusing to testify against his client Bonds. Two reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, who wrote the book “Game of Shadows” about Barry Bonds and steroids, are facing jail time. Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams were given information that was leaked from grand- jury testimony, but have thus far refused to reveal their source. (NY Times)

The significance of these convictions is their intrinsic connection to the game of baseball. Rather than a stopwatch and a clipboard, trainers are accused of utilizing illegal substances. Instead of reporting about balls and strikes, reporters covering sports are investigating crimes and misdemeanors.

The World of Sports and Steroids spoke to attorney Rick Collins concerning the legal issues surrounding steroids. To read TWSS Interview with Rick Collins click here