Anabolic steroids generally improve the level of athletic performance. Improved performance is, by most accounts, good for sport. MLB umpire Tim McClelland recently questioned how one could fault an athlete for doing something that makes him a better player. Sidney Gendin, professor of philosophy of law at Eastern Michigan University, has even suggested that we […]
marijuana
Michael Phelps Marijuana Scandal and Demonization of Steroids
The British celebrity tabloid “News of the World” published a photograph of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps hitting a bong accompanied by an article suggesting he was an experienced cannabis user. Recreational marijuana use is a banned “in-competition” substance unlike anabolic steroids. Cannabis use is permitted by the IOC and WADA Anti-Doping Code outside of competition in spite […]
How to Make Anabolic Steroids Legal
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are probably the least dangerous category of drugs scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) even though the medical side effects are irrelevant to the scheduling criteria of the CSA. According to the American Medical Association, they do not meet the traditional Control Substances Act criteria for scheduling. Even as the “bastard child of […]
What Makes a Drug Performance Enhancing?
An article on the Psychology Today blog by Steven Kotler asked the question, “what makes a drug performance-enhancing?” It cites the WADA rules for banning performance enhancing drugs. According to the World Anti-Doping Code, three substance categories govern the chemistry of cheating—1) It has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance 2) It represents […]