![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Hockey Widow
Mar. 11th, 2004 09:33 pmUgly news day. 190+ dead in Madrid, apparently by an Al-Qaeda connected group, so they're still able to attack civilians in Europe, at least -- and they boast a US operation is "90% ready." Then the California Supreme Court ordered a halt to same-sex weddings pending their review of the issues, which is not unexpected but a downer. Then there was the FDA's announcement that it will try to ban androstendione, a mild prohormone that hasn't been shown to be very harmful, because baseball players claim to use it, and children might get ahold of it. Very sound reasoning, as more freedoms trickle away.
Actually those baseball players who let it be known they were using andro were most likely saying that to cover for their use of something, umm, stronger. Given that players have enormous amounts of money and access to the best doctors, it seems highly unlikely they will abuse steroids to the extent needed to permanently harm their health. I know a few steroid users, and only the "freaky huge" ones at the gym, who need psych therapy for their "bigorexia," have damaged their health -- in one case more from pain medication (morphine, etc.) than steroids. There really needs to be a Constitutional amendment preventing the government from interfering in an individual's medical or substance-abuse decisions. Most addicts of illegal drugs would manage without turning to crime, and have been turned into criminals by the law against drug use and possession. Many things we might think unwise or disapprove of are none of our business, and people are not assets of the State to be kept in the best possible working order by regulating their recreation and diet.
[Disclaimer: I'm pretty much a straight arrow drug-wise, if you don't count caffeine and some supplements. But just because I take care of my body doesn't mean I think the government should create black markets and whole new classes of criminals so that sports fans can feel better.]
Actually those baseball players who let it be known they were using andro were most likely saying that to cover for their use of something, umm, stronger. Given that players have enormous amounts of money and access to the best doctors, it seems highly unlikely they will abuse steroids to the extent needed to permanently harm their health. I know a few steroid users, and only the "freaky huge" ones at the gym, who need psych therapy for their "bigorexia," have damaged their health -- in one case more from pain medication (morphine, etc.) than steroids. There really needs to be a Constitutional amendment preventing the government from interfering in an individual's medical or substance-abuse decisions. Most addicts of illegal drugs would manage without turning to crime, and have been turned into criminals by the law against drug use and possession. Many things we might think unwise or disapprove of are none of our business, and people are not assets of the State to be kept in the best possible working order by regulating their recreation and diet.
[Disclaimer: I'm pretty much a straight arrow drug-wise, if you don't count caffeine and some supplements. But just because I take care of my body doesn't mean I think the government should create black markets and whole new classes of criminals so that sports fans can feel better.]
