Senators Urge Colleagues to Support Anabolic Steroids Legislation

WASHINGTON—Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Monday urged their colleagues to co-sponsor legislation that empowers the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prohibit illegal anabolic steroids that pose as dietary supplements.

In a one-page letter, the senators pointed out the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 would place 27 designer anabolic steroids on the list of controlled substances and authorize DEA to temporarily schedule new designer steroids on the same list. The legislation also establishes penalties for distributing, importing or manufacturing anabolic steroids under false pretenses, Whitehouse and Hatch said.

According to Hatch and Whitehouse, the products are made by reverse engineering illegal steroids and slightly changing their chemical composition. Such reengineering avoids placement on DEA's list of controlled substances, posing a dilemma for federal authorities.

“Under current law, DEA often cannot move quickly enough to protect the public from harm," the senators wrote.

Last month, Reps. Joe Pitts (R-Penn.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) introduced a companion bill in the House to the Senate’s legislation.

A number of organizations support the legislation, including the American Herbal Products Association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the Natural Products Association, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency, according to the letter.