The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service has made more seizures of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH) during the past financial year than any other year in the history of the agency. The Sunday Mail newspaper revealed that steroid seizures have increased over 500 percent over the past five years; the number of parcels containing steroids and hGH double in each of the past two years.
Australian Customs reported 1,054 seizures of performance- and image-enhancing drugs in the financial year ending in July 2009. In 2010, 2,695 seizures were reported. And for 2011, 5,559 seizures of anabolic steroids and hGH were reported.
Last year, an Australian customs spokesperson cited the explosion of internet websites selling steroids from within jurisdictions that have lax regulations governing the sale of anabolic steroids and other prescription drugs as the cause of the increased number of seizures. Thailand, Hong Kong, Bulgaria and China were all named as countries where steroid shipments originated.
The Sunday Mail newspaper interviewed a Queensland personal trainer named Andrew Smith who provided his own cynical perspective on the rise of steroids in the gym culture.
According to Smith, there is a major problem of recreational bodybuilders who use steroids in order to bulk up for summer music festivals.
“It’s a shallow pursuit,” according to Smith. “I’ve heard a lot of different people mention that they’re going to time their steroid course to peak for a music festival.”
It’s such a big problem that the promoters of the Creamfields and Stereosonic music festivals have been enforcing “shirts on” dress policies. Apparently, festival patrons were becoming “uncomfortable” with the ever increasing number of muscular men, presumably enhanced by anabolic steroids, that have invaded music festivals over the years.
The trend towards the increasing use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) has created an “anti-social culture” according to the Sunday Mail. The newspaper cites local Queensland personal trainer Smith to substantiate their characterization of steroid-using bodybuilders.
“It’s completely cosmetic and from my experience, a lot of those guys who do take steroids are very vain and aren’t very personable,” he said.
It was not the first time that an Australian newspaper chose to quote a personal trainer for their expert analysis of the steroid marketplace and subculture.
The Newcastle Herald newspaper interviewed personal trainer Marc Hingston, in New South Wales. Hingston told the newspaper that the market for anabolic steroids ‘‘had become bigger than ecstasy’’.
The prevalence of steroid use in Australia is difficult to determine based on government statistics related to the seizure of PIEDs. It may simply reflect a greater priority by Australian Customs to intercept contraband rather than an escalation in the number of steroid users.
Source:
Fynes-Clinton, A. (April 1, 2012). Steroid use is all the rage as drug seizures soar. Retrieved from http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/steroid-use-is-all-the-rage/story-e6freoof-1226315536131
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