Steroids

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Steroids

The recent past has witnessed increased assault by the authorities on professional athletes that have been turning to anabolic steroids use to enhance their performance . A number of sports heroes in the world have fallen indignantly from grace after accusations of steroids abuse . The United States Olympic sensation , Marion Jones was scrapped off the Olympic records and stripped off her five medals after she admitted to using anabolic steroids . The list runs long and is bound to get longer as the

athletics bodies tighten the law on steroids use among athletes But as the athletes take the heat from the public s furor and while all the attention seems to be directed towards the athletes , steroids use in other professions is left unearthed . As Hoffman and Collingwood (165 note , steroid use is becoming a serious problem within law enforcement ' This is a debate that has been largely left ignored Police offices on their defense claim that the steroids are needed to prepare themselves physically for use-of-force situations and to have the confidence to do the job (Hoffman and Collingwood 165 ) The position of this is that it is illegal and unethical for law enforcement officers to use anabolic steroids as doing so is to disgrace an institution that is expected to publicly uphold high moral standards

According to the Controlled Substances Act , anabolic steroids classified as Schedule III drugs , are illegal if possessed or used without proper prescriptions from physicians . Anabolic steroids are also considered illegal in countries such as Canada , Australia and the United Kingdom amongst others . Most of the studies that have been conducted on steroids are directed towards athletes . Steroids use in the law enforcements agencies have gone on with minimal scrutiny . There is also the unwillingness from the part of the authorities to investigate and take actions against one of their own that is suspected of using steroids . According to Hobberman (278 ) official censure of steroid use by police officers is frequently undermined by official reluctance to discipline or condemn the compromised individuals ' He goes on to outline examples of those that have been caught using steroids but have not been reprimanded , though he notes that convictions are on the increase but not comparable to the civilians ' arrests of those suspected to be using steroids . Yet , steroids use amongst police officers is becoming rampant . The FBI Law Enforcement bulletin , 1991 notes that anabolic steroids abuse by police officers is a problem that merits greater awareness by departments across the country (Swanson and Gaines 19

It is obviously unsettling to the public upon discovering the rampancy of steroid use among public servants such as the police and fire fighters . The question that lingers on in the publics mind is : why are cases of steroids use amongst the police on the rise

According to Hobberman , it lies in the nature of the police work and the fact that the public has opted for long to turn a blind eye . He notes...