Anabolic Steroid Laws In Florida

Visitors to Florida are often impressed, or even intimidated, by how physically fit everyone looks.  Part of the reason for this is that Florida’s warm climate effectively renders the entire state a 24-hour outdoor gym.  Besides that, there is Florida’s booming cosmetic surgery industry; for the right price, anyone can get a lean, youthful physique.  Of course, some of the bulging muscles and boundless energy that you see in the gym and on the beach are due to anabolic steroids.  These drugs, which mimic the effects of hormones produced naturally in the body, have a range of accepted medical uses, but they are also widely used illegally for cosmetic purposes or to enhance athletic performance.  Illegal possession of anabolic steroids can have serious legal consequences.  If you are facing criminal charges for illegal possession of anabolic steroids, contact a Florida drug offense attorney.

Anabolic Steroids in Medicine

The media stereotype of anabolic steroids is one of bodybuilders injecting synthetic hormones into their muscles, but the definition of “anabolic-androgenic steroid.”  The term refers to the molecular structure of certain compounds that occur naturally in the body and synthetic compounds of a similar chemical composition.  For example, testosterone, a hormone present in all healthy men and women, is an anabolic-androgenic steroid.  The anabolic-androgenic steroids that are currently legal for physicians to prescribe in the United States are exogenous testosterone, testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, testosterone undecanoate, methyltestosterone, oxandrolone, and oxymetholone.

In a medical setting, anabolic-androgenic steroids can be used to treat anemia by stimulating bone marrow.  It can also be used to treat testosterone deficiencies in men and to induce growth and pubertal development in teenage boys with delayed puberty and to improve appetite and build muscle mass in patients with cancer.  It has been investigated as a treatment for breast cancer and in hormone therapy for menopausal women, but it has not been approved for these uses, because of its side effects.  In both men and women, anabolic-androgenic steroids can cause infertility, loss of sexual function, and breast abnormalities, as well as hair loss and increased risk of cardiovascular illness.

Penalties for Illegal Possession of Anabolic Steroids

All the anabolic-androgenic steroids listed above are Schedule III controlled substances, but illegal sale of them is prevalent.  Illegal possession of a Schedule III controlled substance, including anabolic steroids, is a third-degree felony, which means that the maximum penalty is a $5,000 fine and five years of prison time or probation.

The possible defenses to charges of anabolic steroid possession are similar to the defenses to charges of illegal possession of other controlled substances.  For example, you might argue that you have a valid prescription for the steroids, that the substance the police found is not a controlled substance, or that the police were not within their rights to conduct the search where they found the steroids.

Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Anabolic Steroid Possession Cases

A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing charges for illegal possession of anabolic steroids or another controlled substance.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0800-0899/0893/Sections/0893.03.html