Should Anabolic Steroid Use Be Legalized - 1821 Words

In the world of sports, there has always been the debate to legalize anabolic steroid use. Since I was a young boy, I have seen several players stripped of titles, achievements, and even careers. In one scandal, Barry Bonds stripped of his home run record title for suspected steroid use. Years later, Lance Armstrong was stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles for using anabolic steroids. While steroid use seems to be a common occurrence in the last few years, some supporters have risen to speak in favor of having steroids legalized in the world of sports. On the other hand, numerous others and myself believe it should not be legalized on any level of sports due to several mental and health issues that arise from steroid use. It†¦show more content†¦In a recent study conducted by Jay Hoffman from 2005 to 2006, he surveyed 8th through 12th grade students on how teens mimic professional athletes who use steroids. The survey involved more than 3,200 students in 12 sta tes, most of them from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. Other states included Iowa, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado, New York, Minnesota and California. In the overall study 1.6 percent of the students, which is roughly 50 children, mostly boys, reported using some form of anabolic steroids regularly. Of that, 57 percent of kids that reported using steroids said that they were influenced by professional athletes. Also out of the children in that study, 65 percent of current users and 6 percent of non-users said that they would take it as long as long as the results were guaranteed despite the health side effects. Also, 57 percent of the current users and 4 percent of the non-users said they would take it even though they knew it shortened your lifespan. In that study, 6 percent of the children were in the 12th grade. The study also looked at the children that were on already on supplements that help promote muscle growth and tone, and 17 percent of childre n reported that they would use some form of steroids to gain muscle. The study also looked at children that want to gain lean muscle that