Why Are Steroids Illegal? Why Do We Care About PEDs in Sports?

[Teufelhund]

You make some decent points, but I don't think the negative side effects of certain PEDs like steroids are worth the potential they may hold for reduction of injury or improving recovery times. This is my own, non-medical opinion though, so just thinking out loud for the sake of discussion.

I think healthy competition is about a combination of genetics, training, and commitment; the point being they are all naturally occurring. If one guy can inject a drug into himself that replaces the months of cardio/weight-lifting/whatever that his competitor has been subjecting himself to through sheer dedication, the competition becomes more about who can make/take a better drug, and less about who is the better athlete.

[Irving]

Jer, you make a lot of good points, but when it comes to sports, there would have to be an "open" class of each sport that allowed steroid use. Just the same a shooting competitions. If you shoot a stock pistol, and want to compete against other guys with stock pistols, you should have a stock pistol class available in which to do so. If you are such a badass with your stock pistol (or extra testosterone) that you want to voluntarily move up to the Open, or Outlaw class, then go right ahead. Guys with modified pistols should not be allowed to move down a class though.

[Jer]

Jer, you make a lot of good points, but when it comes to sports, there would have to be an "open" class of each sport that allowed steroid use. Just the same a shooting competitions. If you shoot a stock pistol, and want to compete against other guys with stock pistols, you should have a stock pistol class available in which to do so. If you are such a badass with your stock pistol (or extra testosterone) that you want to voluntarily move up to the Open, or Outlaw class, then go right ahead. Guys with modified pistols should not be allowed to move down a class though.

Anytime you create different classes there is incentive to cheat. Unlike shooting sports it's not so easy to spot a cheater. Pretty easy to spot someone running an open class Saiga 12 in a lower class. Not so easy to spot someone using an exotic boutique PED in different 'class' sports. In fact, various classes would make it even more difficult to try to track.

Here's another thing to think about: When you make something illegal you create a black market and criminals. Prices of product go up and quality of product is completely unknown for the most part. As I've said with other drugs, people who want to do something will find a way. By attempting to make them illegal all you're doing is giving drug dealers and criminals more work and taking up space in jail cells that should be reserved for people who actually commit crimes.