The existence of the so-called phenomena of “roid rage” has taken on a life of its own in popular culture. Most people seem to think that uncontrolled and irrational aggression is a common, if not unavoidable, side effect of anabolic steroids. However, the causal link between anabolic steroids and aggression in humans is tenuous. There is a notably lack of a scientific support for the existence of “roid rage”; if roid rage exists at all, it occurs in a small minority of steroid users.
This hysteria over roid rage has been responsible for several ill-informed legislative proposals. Most recently, legislators in Oregon have proposed new laws that would mandate steroid testing for any police officers involved in deadly force or police force that resulted in serious injury.
A similar bill has been proposed by Rep. Lew Frederick in the House. House Bill 2951 would require a team of outside investigators to review police use of deadly force; call for immediate drug testing, particularly for steroids, of officers who use deadly force; and require a set of mental health evaluations for officers who have used deadly force.
It is unclear what steroid testing is intended to accomplish in cases of deadly force. Do legislators think that the use of steroids by an involved officer would prove that deadly force was unjustified? Do they think steroid use (and the purported roid rage that follows) makes officers incapable of making rational decisions?
Investigations into the use of deadly force are good but the appropriateness of deadly force should be determined independently of whether an officer was using steroids, aspirin, or orange juice.
Rather than base public policy on science, legislators have been captivated by the nationwide hysteria encompassing the issue of steroids and cops.
Illegal non-medical steroid use by law enforcement is a legitimate concern but not for the ridiculous reasons related to the questionable phenomena known as “roid rage”. The public should be concerned about cops and steroid use because their use of an illegal substance makes them vulnerable to corruption and participation in the illicit steroid black market.
Photo credit: Wickid Pissa Films
About Millard Baker