Bipartisan bill will give DEA broader powers to stop steroids sold as supplements

WASHINGTON — Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., on Wednesday introduced the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act, a bill that will protect consumers by providing the Drug Enforcement Administration with new enforcement tools to identify and quickly respond when new designer anabolic steroids are created and marketed as dietary supplements.



"This legislation will allow the DEA to target substances whose chemical structures mimic other anabolic steroids and whose manufacturers and marketers promote their anabolic or muscle-building effects and give the DEA new authority to remove them from the market as controlled substances," stated Steve Mister, president and CEO for the Council for Responsible Nutrition. CRN on Wednesday issued its support of the legislation.



In December 2010, CRN, along with four additional dietary supplement trade associations, joined forces with the Food and Drug Administration to raise awareness about the public health problems posed by adulterated products illegally marketed as dietary supplements and heighten enforcement efforts targeting those illegal products. Bodybuilding products unlawfully containing anabolic steroids are one of the categories receiving heightened review by the FDA, Mister noted.

 

"Misbranded products that contain designer anabolic steroids present serious health risks to consumers, particularly young men who may be unaware of the dangers of anabolic steroid use," Mister said. "When marketers sell new unapproved steroids under the guise of supplements, it is not only dangerous for consumers, but [also] disparages responsible dietary supplement companies producing and selling legitimate, high-quality and beneficial supplements for sports nutrition and performance. We pledge to do what we can to help pass this important legislation.” 

Interested in this topic? Sign up for our weekly Collaborative Care e-newsletter.