Cops on steroids
In our old stomping grounds in New Jersey, a newspaper exposé of police officers abusing anabolic steroids has led to some meaningful reforms:
The Assembly has unanimously approved a bill to combat the recreational use of human growth hormone, particularly among law enforcement officers and firefighters, by adding the drug to the list of those monitored by the state. Under the program, pharmacies must report every prescription they fill for controlled dangerous substances, a class of drugs that includes narcotics and hallucinogens. Should the Senate concur with the Assembly, HGH would be regarded as a controlled dangerous substance.Another bill before the Legislature would require law enforcement officers and firefighters who have prescriptions for the substances filled to undergo fitness-for-duty evaluations by a doctor. A third calls on Attorney General Dow to include anabolic steroids in the list of drugs for which officers are randomly tested.
Random testing of Portland's police officers for steroids is reportedly beginning this month. If it prevents one tragedy from a hopped-up policeman's 'roid rage, it's well worth it.
| Posted at 10:45 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (4)
Alas, steroid testing is going to make some people angry.
Posted by Mojo | July 12, 2011 10:58 AM
Aside from the fact that these individuals are knowingly presenting false information to a medical professional for the purpose of obtaining a controlled substance, there is the fact that they were doing it all on the public dime.
"In most cases, if not all, they used their government health plans to pay for the substances. Evidence gathered by The Star-Ledger suggests the total cost to taxpayers reaches into the millions of dollars."
Guys who use "gear" to beef up can be spotted in a split second by a trained eye just by the way they look. There is no doubt that mandatory testing would put a huge damper on this kind of activity. Also consider that many steroid abusers develop severe medical problems later in life, and we as the tax payers will have to pay for their unnecessary treatment.
Posted by Usual Kevin | July 12, 2011 11:48 AM
White punks on dope (birds of a different feather, that's all).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faih6ChJUbM
Posted by Mojo | July 12, 2011 12:01 PM
Reportedly, these drugs induce feelings of power and invincibility which become psycho-addictive. They are rationalized as no worse than vitamin supplements. Prescription testosterone supplements which have these effects are flogged on the evening TV news. Public health disaster.
Posted by dyspeptic | July 12, 2011 1:12 PM