Legal Steroids: Arbitrary and Relative Law
Anabolic steroids are an interesting drug of particular interest that has undergone scrutiny and treatment that no other drug has been exposed to, especially in regards to the legality and laws surrounding them. To Americans, it might seem as though the law in America is the law of the world, but this could not be further from the truth. Anabolic steroids are unlike any other type of drug, both in the nature of the type of compounds they are in and of themselves to the laws and manner of use, both of which necessitate that anabolic steroids deserve to be classified under its own category rather than being lumped (wrongfully) into the same classification as other major drugs. The idea and sentiment that anabolic steroids are necessarily bad and that they must be (or are) illegal and criminalized drugs is uniquely an American idea, and such an idea is in the minority in the world. The vast majority of countries on earth exhibit either no laws at all or very lax laws in regards to anabolic steroids, and the vast majority of countries on earth furthermore do not view anabolic steroids as being a problem worthy of the massive amounts of money that the United States has spent attempting to police and control its use. Therefore, what should be understood is that the idea to buy legal steroids is therefore dependent on the country in which the individual is buying them.
For example, legal steroids in countries such as Thailand, Turkey, Greece, and many Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries are in fact real anabolic steroids that can be purchased legally. At the same time, anabolic steroids are not considered legal steroids in the United States. This should provide a stark reality check to those individuals, groups, and websites that utilize the illegal nature of anabolic steroid use as a valid and real reason as to why individuals should not use anabolic steroids. Only in the United States and a small handful of other countries in the world are anabolic steroids illegal to use and possess, which lands such attitudes and laws in the minority. Even other countries that maintain close ties to the United States such as Canada and the United Kingdom legally allow personal use and possession of anabolic steroids. Even in the United Kingdom, it is permissible to buy legal steroids in other countries where they are legally available (such as Turkey or Greece) and import them back home so long as the amounts purchased are for personal use.
The other reality of the situation in regards to legal steroids is that anabolic steroids is not a classification of a single compound or substance. ‘Anabolic steroids’ refers to a broad family of related compounds. Furthermore, the word ‘steroids’ refers to an even broader family of related substances and compounds. ‘Anabolic steroids’ are but merely one sub-section or sub-classification of substances under the larger classification of ‘steroids’. For example, individuals in countries such as the United States where anabolic steroids are illegal can buy legal steroids that are not classified as anabolic steroids. It might be a surprise to many individuals uneducated on this subject that there are many steroids and steroidal substances and compounds that are legally available with no hassles or problems what so ever. Even some anabolic steroids are legal merely due to various faults in the drug classification and their laws. There are approximately 50 – 60 steroids that are classified as anabolic steroids and are scheduled substances under the CSA (Controlled Substances Act) of the United States. There are, however, hundreds or even thousands of other anabolic steroids that were developed and studied but never officially released or manufactured, and were not known at the time that the Anabolic Steroid Control Act (ASCA) of 1990 was passed. These are more formally referred to as designer steroids, which includes those anabolic steroids that were never marketed, as well as other anabolic steroidsthat are newly created in this day and age by chemists. If someone wishes to buy legal steroids, they might possibly be buying real designer anabolic steroids.
It has been previously mentioned that anabolic steroids are drugs that cannot be compared to other major illicit drugs and cannot even be placed into the same category due to their inherent nature as well as the situation surrounding their legality throughout the world. In particular, anabolic steroids are important medicines that are utilized by the medical establishment on a regular basis for many applications. It is for this reason that they are manufactured and sold in all developed countries, which is something that cannot be said for other major illicit drugs. The diversion of legal steroids from countries in which they are legally available to buy to countries where they are not (such as the United States) alongside its general worldwide status ensures that these are drugs that will continue to be utilized and supplied throughout the world, even in countries where they are regarded as ‘illegal’.
How to Buy Legal Steroids
The first thing to understand is that because the word ‘steroids’ refers to a broad family of organic compounds, there are many legal steroids that are readily available for purchase in most nations. It should be understood as to what exactly a steroid or a steroidal compound really is in order to understand how it is possible to buy legal steroids, and which steroids might not be legal in your particular country. The word steroid is derived from two Greek words: ‘stere’ and ‘oiedes’ (also known as ‘eidos’. Stere means a solid, and oiedes (or eidos) means a 3D shape. The end result is the word ‘stereoiedes’, which in English is formulated into the word ‘steroids’. What the word steroid specifically refers to in chemistry is any organic compound that is characterized by a particular arrangement of four carbon rings that are bound to one another in a distinct shape. How the Greek translation of ‘stereoiedes’ meaning ‘solid 3D shape’ came to refer to this arrangement of four carbon-based rings is unknown and perhaps lost in time.
In any case, the steroid structure is characterized by three carbon rings known as cyclohexane rings, which means that these particular rings contain 6 carbon atoms. These three cyclohexane rings are attached to a fourth ring, known as a cyclopentane ring, which means that this particular ring is made up of 5 carbon atoms. These 4 rings are joined together in a particular arrangement that forms what is known as the steroid structure. There are many different steroids as a result, most of which have no muscle building properties to them, some of which have muscle destroying (catabolic) properties to them, and some of which have muscle building properties (anabolic) to them, as well as others that might not be directly anabolic but have secondary indirect anabolic effects on muscle tissue.
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Some steroids are legal to buy under certain circumstances, such as prescriptions while others can legally be purchased over the counter. Some steroids, such as anabolic steroids which are illegal without a prescription in the United States, can be bought legally in many other countries. Much of what makes a steroid legal or illegal is arbitrary and circumstantial, more so than any other major illicit drug which the majority of countries in the world hold an almost unanimous decision on. An individual can easily buy legal steroids from the local drug or supplement store. For example, vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) is in fact a steroid, a specific variant known as a secosteroid. A secosteroid is a steroid that contains a broken ring within its structure, but it is nevertheless a steroidal compound that can be purchased legally. Although vitamin D is not an anabolic steroid, it does possess indirect anabolic effects through its ability to increase Testosterone levels as shown through research that demonstrates a correlation between vitamin D levels and healthy Testosterone levels in men. It is indeed possible to buy legal steroids of many other types, such as phytosterols and plant sterols that are of a steroidal nature and steroid structure. Some of these have hormonal activity, for example, inhibiting the reduction of Testosterone into Dihydrotestosterone, such as beta-Sitosterol. Ecdysterone is an insect steroid that can be legally purchased that has been claimed to exhibit anabolic effects, but further investigation and research has demonstrated these claims to be questionable. Bile acids, such as TUDCA (Tauroursodeoxycholic acid) and UDCA (Ursodeoxycholic acid) that are normally utilized for the maintenance of healthy liver function are also classified as steroids, and these too can be bought legally in many supplement stores.
Other methods for individuals to buy legal steroids include prescription methods. In the United States and some Western countries, the difference between legal steroids and illegal steroids is the difference between having a valid prescription for them and not having one. Although anabolic steroids are not approved for use in athletics and performance and physique enhancement, they can be prescribed for many other reasons, some of which include: the treatment of various medical disorders and diseases, such as HIV and AIDS, wasting conditions, bone frailty (osteoporosis), and the most commonly prescribed condition, male hypogonadism and/or andropause. There are in fact many specialty clinics in the United States that specialise in the treatment of and andropause, known as hormone replacement clinics. The specific treatment for these conditions is known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). These clinics will accept patients and will have them undergo blood testing and various tests to determine a condition of low Testosterone, known as hypogonadism. If the male patient is determined to suffer from hypogonadism, he would be prescribed a preparation of Testosterone, which can be supplied in different forms such as oral (Andriol), injectable (most usually Testosterone Enanthate), or a topical patch or gel (Androderm or Androgel). Some patients might also be prescribed other anabolic steroids in assistance to these, such as Nandrolone (Deca-Durabolin). These can be bought legally at a pharmacy provided the patient has a valid prescription.
In the same manner as described above, females can also buy legal steroids through prescription for various means. Some anabolic steroids are prescribed in the treatment of female breast cancer, though these anabolic steroid treatments are regarded as last-line defences and are generally rarely done. Legal steroidsalso include female birth control pills, which contain Estrogen and/or Progesterone. These are not anabolic steroids, but are steroids that when administered as birth control, act to inhibit luteinizing hormone so as to prevent and/or inhibit ovulation. The most commonly prescribed steroid, however, is actually the opposite of an anabolic steroid: it is a corticosteroid, which is a catabolic steroid that serves to break down and destroy muscle tissue among other functions in the body. As a matter of fact, if many corticosteroids are to be prescribed long-term to users, anabolic steroids are often included later on in the therapy in order to mitigate the muscle-wasting effects of the corticosteroids. In both cases, both corticosteroids and anabolic steroids can be bought legally through prescription. Corticosteroids are analogues of the endogenous corticosteroid in the body, Cortisol. Hydrocortisone is the most popular prescription corticosteroid that can be seen among individuals that buy legal steroids through the prescription market.
Lastly, the prospect of buying legal steroids from countries which allow their purchase over the counter is a possibility for some. These are typically anabolic steroids which would normally be illegal in the United States or other Western countries. Some countries such as the United Kingdom offer the ability for individuals to buy legal steroids while abroad in other countries, and import them back for personal use upon return to the UK. This is quite common in countries such as the UK where the sale and purchase of anabolic steroids is illegal, but permit personal possession and use legally. As would be expected, it would be impossible for a person living in this country to buy anabolic steroids legally in a pharmacy without a prescription, so the option always exists for the person to travel abroad and buy legal steroids in countries where they are legally available over the counter, such as Greece, Turkey, Iran, Thailand, China, and other nations.
