The Prohormone Ban
On this day, January 20, 2005, prohormones in the US are officially banned as a result of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004. This was an act which was signed into law on October 22, 2004 (to be effective 90 days later) and, with regards to prohormones, trumped the Dietary Supplement Health and Regulation Act (DSHEA) of 1994 which is what allowed their legal manufacturing and distribution. This means that the distribution, sale and even possession of prohormones (andro) is now a punishable crime. They are now controlled substances. So, be careful if you have some.
Even if you live outside the US, you will be affected by this law as most of the better prohormone products were manufactured here. This will change (say hello to Hong Kong prohormones).
If you are interested in the text of the law, you can find it here http://www.congress.org/congressorg/webreturn/?url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.3866:
What this means?
Personally, I was never on the prohormone bandwagon. They seemed a little too much like their close cousins, anabolic steroids. They definitely pushed the technical limits of DSHEA. In their early days, the late 90s, they provided little reward and it has only been lately that they have become at least "interesting" options for those seeking to safely build muscle. But now they are gone.
While the specific ban on prohormones doesn't bother me, it worries me that other supplements that are protected by DSHEA may now face similar legislative attacks. I don't want to have to go to the doctor and complain about OTS in order to get a prescription for glutamine. Paronoia? Maybe.
Keep in mind though, this ban which essentially places prohormones in the category of crack cocaine, comes not after usage showed a series of related deaths or serious associated health problems but rather after a relatively good safety record (see Testosterone Precursors and Safety: A Review of the Relevant Research By Karlis Ullis, MD, and Joshua Shackman, Ph.D.)
When politicians in this country get their fingers in something and are backed by powerful lobbyist groups (the pharmaceutical industry would love to have a monopoly on all nutritional supplements), history provides enough evidence that things can quickly spiral towards the inane.
DSHEA was and is a great thing. It allows individuals to decide what dietary supplements they want to put into their bodies to aid in health and fitness pursuits. I believe the vast majority of people are very capable of making such a decision.
If the protection of DSHEA and your supplement freedoms is of concern to you too, I urge you to visit http://www.usfa.biz/. The United Supplement Freedom Association, Inc. is a "not-for-profit coalition of individuals and companies dedicated to the preservation of safe sports supplements and other nutritional products." There you can get more information, stay up to date on related information and easily contact your representatives in Washington to voice your concerns.
Learn more about prohormones here.
JP Clifford
Even if you live outside the US, you will be affected by this law as most of the better prohormone products were manufactured here. This will change (say hello to Hong Kong prohormones).
If you are interested in the text of the law, you can find it here http://www.congress.org/congressorg/webreturn/?url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.3866:
What this means?
Personally, I was never on the prohormone bandwagon. They seemed a little too much like their close cousins, anabolic steroids. They definitely pushed the technical limits of DSHEA. In their early days, the late 90s, they provided little reward and it has only been lately that they have become at least "interesting" options for those seeking to safely build muscle. But now they are gone.
While the specific ban on prohormones doesn't bother me, it worries me that other supplements that are protected by DSHEA may now face similar legislative attacks. I don't want to have to go to the doctor and complain about OTS in order to get a prescription for glutamine. Paronoia? Maybe.
Keep in mind though, this ban which essentially places prohormones in the category of crack cocaine, comes not after usage showed a series of related deaths or serious associated health problems but rather after a relatively good safety record (see Testosterone Precursors and Safety: A Review of the Relevant Research By Karlis Ullis, MD, and Joshua Shackman, Ph.D.)
When politicians in this country get their fingers in something and are backed by powerful lobbyist groups (the pharmaceutical industry would love to have a monopoly on all nutritional supplements), history provides enough evidence that things can quickly spiral towards the inane.
DSHEA was and is a great thing. It allows individuals to decide what dietary supplements they want to put into their bodies to aid in health and fitness pursuits. I believe the vast majority of people are very capable of making such a decision.
If the protection of DSHEA and your supplement freedoms is of concern to you too, I urge you to visit http://www.usfa.biz/. The United Supplement Freedom Association, Inc. is a "not-for-profit coalition of individuals and companies dedicated to the preservation of safe sports supplements and other nutritional products." There you can get more information, stay up to date on related information and easily contact your representatives in Washington to voice your concerns.
Learn more about prohormones here.
JP Clifford
posted by JP Clifford at 5:16 AM
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