Hatch, Whitehouse introduce bipartisan bill to crack down on steroids

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Sheldon Whitehouse introduced legislation in the Senate Tuesday to end a loophole that allows designer anabolic steroids to easily be found online, in gyms, and even in retail stores. The Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act would help protect consumers from these harmful products by properly classifying them as controlled substances and increasing criminal penalties for importing, manufacturing, or distributing them under false labels.

Designer steroids are produced by reverse engineering existing illegal steroids and then slightly modifying their chemical composition, so the resulting product is not on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of controlled substances. When taken by consumers, designer steroids can cause serious medical harm, including liver injury and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. They may also lead to aggression, hostility, and addiction.

Hatch said:

Designer anabolic steroids present serious health risks, and this bill will ensure that the DEA has the ability to test products for anabolic effects and declare them controlled substances before they enter the marketplace. The DEA needs to be able to act faster and have better enforcement tools to prosecute those that develop and falsely market anabolic steroids as safe products.

Whitehouse said:

The wold’s top athletes competing in the Winter Olympics are subject to strict guidelines and rigorous testing to prevent the use of steroids, as they should be. At the same time, many American citizens may be unknowingly dosing themselves with these harmful substances. American consumers deserve to know what is in the products they purchase. This bill would help prevent the sale of falsely labeled steroids and punish those who seek to profit from them. I thank Sen. Hatch for working with me on this important issue.

The Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act would:
  • Immediately place 27 known designer anabolic steroids on the list of controlled substances
  • Grant the DEA authority to temporarily schedule new designer steroids on the controlled substances list, so that if bad actors develop new variations, these products can be removed from the market
  • Create new penalties for importing, manufacturing, or distributing anabolic steroids under false labels
  • Authorize the U.S. Attorney General to publish a list of products containing an anabolic steroid that are not properly labeled

Submitted by the Office of Sen. Orrin Hatch

Resources

Senate Bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to more effectively regulate anabolic steroids – introduced July 25, 2012 by Sens. Hatch and Whitehouse – full text of bill as it was introduced to the Senate on July 25, whereupon the bill was referred to committee the same date.

Related posts

On the EDge: Running the golden gauntlet – 2012

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2 Comments

  • Bub February 12, 2014 at 9:55 am

    Throw more money at a “war on drugs” that’s already proven a complete failure. Really Orrin?

    • Richard February 12, 2014 at 8:08 pm

      We should buy Bub a podium and put it in the park downtown. We would love to hear more from this guy.

      Please find a hobby!!!! We don’t care what you think.

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