How Britain’s got hooked on steroids: 500,000 are now addicted to muscle-enhancers

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How Britain’s got hooked on steroids: 500,000 are now addicted to muscle-enhancers

You might be prescribed anabolic steroids for certain medical conditions. If a clinician has prescribed you anabolic steroids, they will be safe for you to take – provided you use them as directed. Anabolic steroids are classified as class C drugs, meaning they are prescription-only, but they are readily available illegally online or via social media.

  • In fact, researchers behind the National Image & Performance Enhancing Drugs Survey estimate there could be as many as one million anabolic steroid users in the UK.
  • It is not illegal to possess the drug for personal use, but it is against the law if it’s believed you are supplying or selling them.
  • In 2018, a police officer suspected of using anabolic steroids to improve his physique was dismissed without notice after a Lincolnshire Police panel found him guilty of gross misconduct.
  • Issues such as the authenticity and the credibility of the supplier (for example a pharmacy) may well assist the case if you decide to plead guilty and we are tasked to mitigate on your behalf.
  • We therefore have the specialist experience needed to handle your case effectively from your very first contact with police through to trial and appeals where necessary.

Getting the right advice and representation as early as possible is key to giving you the best chance of achieving a good outcome against serious criminal charges. Issues such as the authenticity and the credibility of the supplier (for example a pharmacy) may well assist the case if you decide to plead guilty and we are tasked to mitigate on your behalf. Depending on the type of steroids, the quantity of them and the methods and sophistication use to import them; the sentences will vary significantly. However, most typically, if importation of steroids has taken place on a commercial scale for the onward supply to gyms and other professional athletes for example, a term of imprisonment of 2-4 years is likely to be imposed.

Importation of Steroids

Due to the illegality of purchasing steroids, it can often be difficult to know exactly what the substance is, leading to a whole host of health complications. Steroids obtained from a gym or dealer may be produced for use on animals, could be fake or may have been labelled incorrectly. If you take anabolic steroids, try to ensure you know exactly what you’re taking and that any drugs you’re using haven’t been tampered with.

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CLASS B

It’s undeniable that steroids have been used in a medical capacity for decades and in a less official performance-enhancing one for almost as long. It’s likely that many athletes and bodybuilders will swear by them and profess not to have experienced any harmful side effects. When abused, anabolic steroids can cause baldness, erectile https://northwestpharmacyacanada.com dysfunction, infertility, reduced sperm count, severe acne, shrunken testicles and excruciating stomach pain in men. In women, they can cause typically masculine symptoms such as a deepening of the voice, growth of facial and body hair and loss of breasts, as well as menstruation problems and swelling of the clitoris.

If you hire a skilled and experienced drug offences solicitor, it’s possible that they could get this matter resolved outside of the court system. When taken to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance without medical advice, they can be addictive and have serious side-effects. Anabolic steroids are drugs artificially derived from the main male hormone testosterone. They can build muscle and improve athletic performance, but they can also have significant adverse effects, especially when used incorrectly.

If you are released with no further action or under investigation, you could be rearrested or summonsed to attend a court hearing at any time. Medications can be checked on Global DRO and supplements on Informed Sport.

UK steroid use is on the rise: What does it mean for the legal sector, family law and employers?

Anabolic steroids can be used in medicine to treat certain hormonal problems, as well as being used to treat some cancers, osteoporosis and other rare conditions. When used outside of medicine, it is most commonly for people to improve athletic performance or change the way they look by increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat. If you see bodybuilders who look unnaturally large and wonder how they got so big, this could be down to more than just a strict diet and training regime and may result from steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

If your importation of steroids case is heard in court and you are convicted of the crime, your conviction will be recorded on your CRB / police record. The interview will be tape-recorded in case it needs to be used as evidence and played in court (if your case goes to court). It’s is critical to getting a positive outcome that you consult with a legal professional before attending the police interview. Typically, the next part of the process of being accused of importation of steroids is attending the police interview.