October 8th marked the passage of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act
of 2004 (S. 2195 & H.R. 3866), which made its way to the
President's desk for a signature shortly thereafter to become law.
To recap, the bill gives the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) the authority
to add androstenedione ("andro"), tetrahydrogestrinone (THG)
and other steroid precursors to the list of anabolic steroids that are
classified as Schedule III controlled substances. While DHEA was
exempted from this bill, it will be watched very closely by certain
members of Congress to make sure that it is not marketed or sold outside
the realm of its intended function, according to LDI Group, Inc., Salt
Lake City, UT. If DHEA is abused in the estimation of Congressional
members, it too will be moved to the Schedule III list. The final
version of the bill also included a provision designed to encourage
education programs in elementary and secondary schools to convey the
harmful effects of anabolic steroids. The bill was strongly supported by
the major dietary supplement associations, including the American Herbal
Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products
Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the
National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) and the Utah Natural
Products Alliance (UNPA). In addition, the bill garnered support from
medical and sports organizations, such as the American Academy of
Pediatrics, American Medical Association, National Football League
(NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey
League (NHL).
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