The content of the article:
Steroids are banned in many countries of the world under various pretexts. For example, in our country they are classified as potent drugs. The list of banned substances includes almost all drugs that are popular among athletes. Today we will try to find out why steroids are banned in the CIS countries?
Reasons for the prohibition of anabolics
Since the creation of anabolics in our country, for a long time they were considered medicines, and only doctors could allow them to be purchased. Medical workers determined their dosage and monitored their patients. Only adults could purchase them.
The steroid boom began almost immediately after their appearance. In the late sixties and early seventies, most athletes representing strength sports used anabolic steroids. Sports functionaries reacted to this quickly enough, and already in 1975 the International Olympic Committee added steroids to the list of banned substances.
Already in the next Olympic Games, held in 1976 in Canada, for the first time a doping test was carried out. Of course, such measures could not force athletes to give up steroids. The most notorious doping scandal involved Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who was caught using banned substances during the 1988 Olympics.
In the United States, they began to fight steroids much earlier than in Russia. Moreover, this struggle is being waged more severely than in our country. Even today, questions are often raised in Congress about tightening control over the use of AAS.
To answer the question of why anabolics were banned, it is necessary to understand why they are considered such an evil. In the medical literature, you can find a large number of references to the harmful effects of anabolic steroids on the body. Of course, if used incorrectly, AAS can cause irreversible consequences and even lead to death.
Scientists have well studied the effect of drugs on the liver and often this is called the main reason for the prohibition of steroids. However, the greatest danger here is represented by tableted anabolics, and injectables do not affect the liver. It is believed that the use of steroids can even lead to the development of liver cancer, but there is no evidence for this to date.
Many athletes cannot understand why steroids are still banned. In the pharmacy today you can buy much more toxic medications. For example, the well-known paracetamol, if used incorrectly, can cause complete destruction of the liver. It is also necessary to remember about soft anabolics, for example, winstrol, which is also classified as a prohibited substance.
How dangerous are steroids
Scientists have found that with moderate use of anabolics, they are able to increase the efficiency of the body's defense mechanisms, but medical professionals refuse to accept this fact. It is impossible not to recognize the fact that steroids are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many diseases.
At the same time, the presence side effects when using AAS, it would be foolish to deny. However, most of them are not dangerous to humans and are more likely to be irritating. For example, acne. Of course, this is an unpleasant phenomenon from an aesthetic point of view, but it does not pose a health hazard.
With prolonged use of anabolic steroids in the body, the synthesis of endogenous male hormone decreases, which can cause testicular atrophy. But this process is reversible, and with properly carried out rehabilitation therapy, there is no threat to the body.
Most of the "terrible" side effects that anabolic fighters talk about are far-fetched, and minor ones can be eliminated quickly enough. In the same America, the drug Finasteride, which is also classified as prohibited, is used to combat male pattern baldness. Yes, they use this remedy for other purposes, because the main task of Finasteride is to combat prostate hyperplasia. The mechanism of action of the drug is based on a decrease in the rate of conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. It is this substance that is the main cause of baldness.
The situation is similar with tretinoin. It is used to eliminate stretch marks of the skin, wrinkles and acne. The list of side effects from its use is similar to steroids, but it can be purchased.
It is very interesting to understand the issue of criminal prosecution for the distribution of steroids. To do this, you need to find out what is meant by this concept -steroid. For example, in the United States, any hormonal drug that is a chemical derivative of testosterone is classified as such. Progestins and estrogens also fall under this definition.
For some reason, not all drugs based on male hormone derivatives, progestins or estrogens are considered prohibited. What is the reason for such selectivity is very difficult to understand.
It is very difficult to understand the point of view of the people who initiated the ban on steroids in different countries of the world. However, nothing can be done and one has to put up with such a decision. Of course, you have the opportunity to purchase all the necessary anabolic drugs in the appropriate sports pharmacology stores. It's not hard to find them online.
At the same time, it is necessary to be careful with their use, because doping control can find their metabolites, after which severe punishment will follow.
Learn more about the ban on steroids from this video:
The Tomsk athlete will be tried for ordering steroids from Belarus. For the year in Russia, there will be a dozen such cases of “testosterone smuggling”. Why the drug necessary for bodybuilders in Russia is outlawed and whether the situation will change in the near future - in the material of the site.
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Now the 29-year-old resident of Tomsk is under house arrest. He is accused of smuggling, although he himself did not transport anything - he simply ordered 21 g of the substance from a Belarusian company, indicating the delivery address in Tomsk. He expected that he would give himself injections that would give relief to his muscles.
According to the press service of the Tomsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, the defendant knew that the substance he ordered was prohibited for free sale in Russia, Komsomolskaya Pravda. Although a more correct wording is that the import and circulation of the drug is limited. What does this mean, Vladimir Starinsky, managing partner of the Starinsky, Korchago and Partners bar association, explained to the site.
“According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, anabolic steroids are classified as potent substances, the circulation of which in the country is limited. This means that such drugs can only be purchased with special permission. So, a number of anabolic steroids can be purchased by prescription. Accordingly, selling them without an appropriate license or to a person who does not have a prescription will be a violation,” Starinsky said.
February 2018. A 28-year-old resident of the south-east of Moscow was detained on suspicion of smuggling anabolic drugs. He received a package with testosterone and a steroid from Belarus. As a result, a criminal case under the same as in Tomsk, Part 1 of Art. 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Smuggling of potent substances". This is from three to seven years in prison, a fine of up to 1 million rubles, or five years of earnings of the convict, plus restriction of liberty for up to a year. November 2017. The same drugs from Belarus arrived in the city of Shakhty, the same article for a resident of the Rostov region. It is easy to find similar news for the query “testosterone delayed”.
Probably the loudest such story ended in Moscow in 2016. Three young people who met in the gym (two of them are fitness trainers) decided to bring “pharma” from Moldova, as athletes call sports pharmacology. There it is much cheaper and the turnover is practically unlimited. For two years, drugs were transported by train through conductors, distributed, according to investigators, among familiar athletes, in fitness clubs and on the Internet. In 2014, businessmen were detained.
The verdict was delivered two years later. Eight years in a strict regime colony for one coach, five years in a strict regime colony for the second, and four years of probation for the third participant in the concession, who was essentially a courier and agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
The trial of athletes - suppliers of Moldovan pharmaceuticals has been repeatedly called indicative in the media. Like, wanting to improve performance, employees of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) sent to jail essentially innocent people. Although the court proved that the actions of sports entrepreneurs were clearly unlawful, moreover, some commentators even saw a causal relationship between the verdict and the abolition of the Federal Drug Control Service that followed soon after.
The argument in favor of the athletes is that it is not difficult to order analogues of anabolic steroids, which the convicts bought in Chisinau. Dozens of ads on Internet flea markets and specialized sites where phone numbers are not indicated, but there are links to "backup sites" in case the main ones are blocked. You don’t need to order something from abroad and risk going to the post office yourself. Everything has already been delivered and will be delivered by courier. Journalists of the Moscow 24 TV channel also tried to order anabolics through a similar site. The attempt was successful.
Everyone is against the ban on steroids
Steroids are taken by almost all athletes who are seriously involved in gyms. Some admit it anonymously, some openly. And in this, despite the danger to health, there is a certain logic: with drugs you can achieve such results in a year that would take five to six years without them. At the same time, as a rule, no one campaigns for steroids. They are accepted to meet the criteria of judges in competitions, including bodybuilding.
“This is not an evil, but often a necessity. On the higher levels in sports without it, probably nothing. Professional sports without steroids, in my opinion, does not exist in principle, ”- judge of the Russian CrossFit Championship Nikolai Silakov. At the same time, he clarifies that there is a doping control at the big CrossFit competitions.
World and European champion in bench press, Russian WPA champion and Belarusian Cup winner in bench press Pavel Kreynis is of the same opinion: “I believe that it is impossible to achieve beautiful reliefs without anabolics. All actors, all stars resort to them anyway. Yes, they do not sit on steroids all the time, but they use them from time to time. I'll tell you more. All Olympic athletes are on anabolic steroids. Yes, it is considered doping. But for this there are doctors who control everything, inject them with rapidly excreted drugs. See what doping scandals regularly occur, how many people are caught doing it! Human potential dried up 20 years ago. The results that athletes show today are only the achievements of pharmacology.”
Denis Olisov, director of the Institute of Health and Rehabilitation at the Lesgaft University of Physical Education and Sports, calls the fight against doping the main reason for limiting the circulation of testosterone-based drugs in Russia. “About 5-6 years ago, a total campaign against doping was launched in our country - and through the efforts of supervisory authorities, anabolic steroids were included in the list of potent substances. I would compare this to when, in order to fight drug addiction, the sale of syringes is banned. The message is clear, but the execution is clearly lame,” Olisov said.
Belarusian athlete Pavel Kreynis believes that the ban on anabolics simply takes this market into the shadows. In Belarus, "distribution - manufacture - use" is not prohibited, although there has been talk about this since at least 2014.
Unlike an athlete, the claim of the physician Denis Olisov to the restrictions is that testosterone-based anabolics are not only sports, but also drugs. They are prescribed for the development of male germ cells (spermatozoa). For some men, this gives them the chance to have children. In addition, they are used for muscle hypotrophy (significant reduction muscle mass). But because of the athletes, obtaining drugs has become very difficult for patients. Despite the words of lawyer Vladimir Starinsky that steroids, "limited" in Russia, can be obtained by prescription, in reality, pharmacies prefer not to contact them, since anabolic steroids require a large number of permits.
Starinsky himself is also skeptical about the ban. But he insists that the harm from anabolic steroids is overestimated. “As for the restriction, there has been a long discussion about its expediency in relation to anabolic steroids. The fact is that the harm from them to health is comparable to the consequences of excessive drinking of alcohol, for which no restrictions have been established. Therefore, many say that this restriction is unnecessary. This is also related to the fact that these drugs are not banned in all countries, since the assessment of the degree of harm from them is quite controversial,” Sterinsky said.
All against steroids
Starinsky's words about harms comparable to excessive drinking contradict the statements of supposedly all doctors about steroids. Yes, like alcohol, “pharma” at certain doses can have a detrimental effect on the liver. And even cause toxic hepatitis. But these side effects are not limited.
Since most steroids are an analogue of the male sex hormone, its use can lead to the so-called pharmacological castration. One of the drugs for which they received real terms fitness trainers in 2016, just increased erectile function, suppressed by sports pharmacology drugs.
“When the body receives some substances from the outside, it stops producing it. And here is a young man, striving for perfect figure, sits down on anabolic steroids. The production of hormones responsible for spermatogenesis stops in him. Over time, the athlete understands that girls like not only muscles, but also intelligence - and begins to get off these drugs. But he does not produce hormones. At the age of 20-25, a young man is not able to have children. Agree, a terrible price for beautiful body", - said Denis Olisov, head of the Institute of Health and Rehabilitation at the Lesgaft University of Physical Education and Sports.
Radio host and member of the Association of Fitness Professionals Eduard Kanevsky, that there are other, less dangerous, but still unpleasant problems: gynecomastia in men ( female breast), acne or acne, mood swings, sleep disturbance, increased blood pressure.
Such a number of side effects was the main argument in favor of the ban on testosterone doping by the experts of the abolished Federal Drug Control Service. Now, given the recent doping scandals with Russian athletes to assume that the ban will be lifted is completely strange. In some ways, these scandals have tied the hands of Russian medical officials.
At the same time, in many countries, "pharma" exists on the principle of "what is not prohibited is allowed." And, according to recent years, the United States is the largest consumer of steroids.
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What are anabolics (steroids)
What are anabolics or steroids 
who knows, this word is familiar to many, but few people know its specific meaning. Anabolics contain those substances that stimulate the growth of the body in certain places and in a certain way. In general, anabolics or steroids help build muscle mass due to the high level of testosterone, but such supplements can negatively affect your health.
If you want to buy steroids, then you need to immediately understand what consequences from regular use can occur:
- Possible liver dysfunction.
- An increase in blood pressure.
- The risk of heart disease is growing.
- In the future, testosterone levels may decrease.
- The functioning of the immune system deteriorates.
- There are rashes and pimples all over the body.
- Fluid retention in the body.
- The number of excreted spermatozoa decreases.
- Hormonal imbalance in women.
- Headaches.
- Failures in the nervous system.
- Increased irritability.
- Aggressiveness.
- Fatigue.
- Muscle spasms.
In addition to these consequences of the regular use of steroids and anabolics, there are a number of others, but this can be avoided if you reduce the use of these drugs or eliminate their intake. However, the worst thing about these supplements is that more and more often they are being taken not only by professional athletes who can control this process, but by schoolchildren and teenagers. Already in 2010 Scientific research showed that 2.7% of all high school students in the US use anabolic drugs, and most of them do not know what anabolics or steroids are.
Therefore, before you buy steroids, think carefully, you really need a result in this way, and if you still decide, then first consult your doctor and take a series of tests. Also try to maintain a certain dosage when taking steroids and minimize the total period of taking the drugs so as not to become addicted.
Why steroids are needed and how they work
Their main task is that 
to make a person stronger and more resilient. If you start taking them, you will become faster, more massive, and so on. All this made them extremely popular in a sport like bodybuilding. It is very important to gain mass here. It's not just about "swimming fat", but really about gaining muscle. According to statistics, steroids make it possible to gain muscle twice as fast.
Due to the ability to penetrate cell membranes, anabolics have the ability to have a complex effect on muscle tissue. Forming a connection with androgen receptors in the cell nucleus, substances trigger the synthesis of newly formed protein molecules.
Anabolic steroids allow you to accelerate the absorption of substances important for cell activity. In addition to the increase in muscle mass in an intensive form, such drugs:
- increase endurance and strength;
- stimulate the burning of subcutaneous fat mass;
- relieve pain in tendons and joints;
- increase the relief and hardness of muscles;
- accelerate the immediate maturation and growth of erythrocytes.
The most popular forms of release of anabolic steroids- powders, tablets, means for intramuscular injections. Especially relevant was the use of such drugs in athletes.
Why Russia banned steroids
Since the creation of anabolics in 
In our country, for a long time, they were considered medicines, and only doctors could allow them to be purchased. Medical workers determined their dosage and monitored their patients. Only adults could purchase them.
The steroid boom began almost immediately after their appearance. In the late sixties and early seventies, most athletes representing strength sports used anabolic steroids. Sports functionaries reacted to this quickly enough, and already in 1975 the International Olympic Committee added steroids to the list of banned substances.
Already at the next Olympic Games, held in 1976 in Canada, a doping test was carried out for the first time. Of course, such measures could not force athletes to give up steroids. The most notorious doping scandal involved Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who was caught using banned substances during the 1988 Olympics.
In the United States, they began to fight steroids much earlier than in Russia. Moreover, this struggle is being waged more severely than in our country. Even today, questions are often raised in Congress about tightening control over the use of AAS.
To answer the question of why anabolics were banned, it is necessary to understand why they are considered such an evil. In the medical literature, you can find a large number of references to the harmful effects of anabolic steroids on the body. Of course, if used incorrectly, AAS can cause irreversible consequences and even lead to death.
Scientists have well studied the effect of drugs on the liver and often this is called the main reason for the prohibition of steroids. However, the greatest danger here is represented by tableted anabolics, and injectables do not affect the liver. It is believed that the use of steroids can even lead to the development of liver cancer, but there is no evidence for this to date.
In which countries are steroids legal?
| The country | Legality of anabolic steroids |
| 1. Ukraine | All steroid substances are included in the category of potent substances (not certified in Ukraine by the AC), potent medicines(certified drugs, according to the order of the Ministry of Health of August 17, 2007 N 490 (z1007-07), containing methandienone and nandrolone) and other steroid drugs (testosterones). You can buy at a pharmacy with a prescription (or without, because it is certified for yourself). Buying obviously a lot, as for sale, a pharmacist can momentarily snitch on the SBU. Sale is prohibited by Article 321 of the Criminal Code. Article 323 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine says that it is forbidden to assist minors in the use of doping (AS refers to doping). The purchase of non-certified (non-pharmacy) and certified (pharmacy) not for the purpose of sale, but for personal use is allowed. Pharmacies have testosterone propionate, omnadren 250, sustanon and nebido |
| 2. UK | Legal personal use |
| 3. Colombia | legal |
| 4. Canada | legal to possess |
| 5. Bulgaria | Allowed |
| 6. Panama | No big problems |
| 7. Spain | Prohibited sale without a prescription |
| 8. Mexico | With or without prescription. There are no steroid laws, but there are medical prescription requirements in human pharmacies. Veterinarians do not need a prescription. Legal sale. |
| 9. Argentina | The law provides for a strict sale by prescription, but they can sell without. Problems at customs |
| 10. Brazil | |
| 11. Uruguay | Prohibited, but postage is authorized (it is easier to control). |
| 12. USA | Forbidden |
| 13. Saud. Arabia | Prohibited but not strictly |
| 14. Chile | Allowed. Sold even in supermarkets near alcohol products |
| 15. Lebanon | Allowed |
| 16. Doha Qatar | Allowed |
| 17. Iran | Allowed |
| 18. Egypt | Allowed without a prescription |
| 19. Greece | Allowed in some regions. With or without a prescription |
| 20. Turkey | Allowed . Over the counter. Prohibited import and export of steroids |
| 21. Bahrain | Allowed |
| 22. Latvia | By prescription, but in some pharmacies without |
| 23. Japan | with prescription |
| 24. Barbados | Allowed |
| 25. Yugoslavia | Allowed |
| 26. Moldova | Allowed |
| 27. Hungary | Allowed |
| 28. Venezuela | Controlled and authorized by customs |
| 29. Kuwait | Prohibited but not strictly |
| 30. Australia | With a prescription. Difficult to buy for individuals |
| 31. Bahamas | With or without prescription. |
| 32. Belgium | with prescription |
| 33. Costa Rica | With or without a prescription |
| 34.Domenican. res. | Allowed without a prescription |
| 35. France | with prescription |
| 36. Germany | With a prescription for therapeutic purposes (under the supervision of a physician) |
| 37. Hong Kong | With or without a prescription |
| 38. Korea | With or without a prescription |
| 39. Puerto Rico | With or without a prescription |
| 40. South Africa | You can buy at the pharmacy with or without a prescription. Legal with a prescription |
| 41. Sweden | Completely banned |
| 42. Switzerland | On prescription |
| 43. Thailand | With or without a prescription |
| 44. China | Legal to receive by mail |
| 45. Italy | Personal use. With a prescription for therapeutic purposes (under the supervision of a physician) |
| 46. India | With or without a prescription |
| 47. Korea | With or without a prescription |
| 48. Norway | Forbidden |
| 49. Poland | With or without a prescription |
| 50. Romania | Preferably have a prescription |
Do Anabolic Steroids Work?
The answer cannot be unambiguous. 
If you ask the opinions of athletes, bodybuilders, their doctors and trainers who know firsthand about anabolics, the answer will be yes: steroids really work, increase muscle mass, strength and endurance. However, there is one thing: anabolics only work in combination with regular training, proper nutrition and self-interest.
Dealing in steroids. To a young man- a master of sports in bodybuilding - now faces up to three years in prison.
Why it is illegal to trade steroids, why they are dangerous and what effect they generally have on the body, the site understood.
Why steroids are needed and how they work
Steroid drugs increase muscle protein synthesis (this is called anabolism), which allows you to significantly increase muscle mass and strength. Also, some types of steroids help reduce fat mass.
As radio host and member of the Association of Fitness Professionals Eduard Kanevsky noted in a conversation with the site, most steroids are an analogue of the male sex hormone testosterone, and the use of drugs even in "therapeutic" dosages can lead to serious health problems, including the so-called " pharmacological castration.
According to the expert, many drugs have a detrimental effect on liver cells, which can cause toxic hepatitis. “There are other, less dangerous, but still unpleasant and requiring treatment problems: gynecomastia in men (female breasts), acne or acne, mood swings, sleep disturbance, high blood pressure,” notes Kanevsky.
According to the expert, those who have decided to use this or that drug need to give themselves a clear answer to the question "Why do I need this?".
“Bodybuilders who frequently use certain drugs in the banned category compete regularly and possibly earn a living in this way.
"If you're in the gym to stay healthy, all you need is regular exercise, proper nutrition and regular sleep," the specialist summed up.
Sports doctors are also against such drugs.
According to him, the positive effect of taking steroids is overshadowed by the negative aspects, namely side effects. At the same time, Katulin noted that sometimes anabolics are used for muscle hypotrophy (a significant decrease in muscle mass), but they do not become less harmful from this.
And is it legal?
Anabolic steroids are only partly legal. As explained in the Federal Drug Control Service, many drugs are prohibited for circulation in Russia due to their strong effect on the body and the addictive effect similar to a narcotic one. At the same time, the consumption of some of them occurs only under the supervision of a doctor and is dispensed by prescription.
Moreover, steroid dealers can be attracted under the article "Distribution of potent substances". By the way, the use of mail to receive such a parcel from abroad is also illegal and entails criminal liability under the article "Smuggling".
According to the FSKN, steroids are consumed by young people who use an unprofessional approach and are poorly informed. “Moreover, anabolics themselves are not always of high quality,” the press service emphasized.
Drugs interfere with function internal organs- their destruction can occur, testosterone also ceases to be produced. In general, after the use of steroids, the Federal Drug Control Service recommends a complex of rehabilitation therapy.
However, possession of anabolic steroids is not criminalized, which the Federal Drug Control Service considers a gap in the legislation.
What do the athletes themselves think?
Alexander, non-professional athlete
There is no one "for" steroids. They are accepted to meet the current criteria for evaluating performing bodybuilders. We can say that this is a necessary measure if you are a performing athlete. If not, then it's up to everyone, since a negative imprint remains in any case.
How are steroids treated in other countries?
In many countries, anabolics exist on the principle "what is not prohibited is permitted", however, production often becomes illegal - entire enterprises that make drugs are periodically closed.
Note that the United States is the largest consumer of steroids. In 2005, an operation took place in Mexico, during which eight cartels that illegally imported steroids into the States were destroyed. After that, China became the largest producer of anabolics.
Nikolai, professional athlete, crossfit coach
Steroids are not evil, but often a necessity. At the highest levels in sports, it’s probably impossible to do without it. Professional sports without steroids, in my opinion, do not exist in principle. But victory is determined by training, regimen and nutrition, steroids alone will not help anyone.
By the way, according to Interpol, the turnover of anabolics in the world is greater than the turnover of all drugs.
At the same time, the use of steroids is prohibited by many sports organizations and organizing committees of the competition, for example, Olympic Committee(IOC), FIFA and some bodybuilding federations.
At the end of March, the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) was abolished by presidential decree. The department did not have the best reputation: there were many stories that FSKN employees, striving for good performance, prosecuted those whose guilt is very controversial. An example of this is the story of three athletes from the city of Zhukovsky near Moscow, who traded in anabolic steroids and ended up in the dock. Lenta.ru figured out how sports pharmacology can bring to court.
Business on the edge of the law
In August 2012, three residents of Zhukovsky near Moscow - 26-year-old Konstantin Mitrofanov, 32-year-old Anton Gints (both fitness trainers) and 28-year-old Yegor Nesterov, a student of the Moscow Sports Academy - decided to organize a business. Avid athletes, they spent a lot of time in the gyms (where they met) and knew firsthand what they were sports nutrition and sports pharmacology.
Shortly before this, Mitrofanov met on the Internet with an athlete from Moldova, Oleg Pashchenko. He told Mitrofanov that pharmacological preparations in Moldova are much cheaper than in Russia, and their turnover is practically unlimited. And he offered to organize the supply of “pharma” (as sports pharmacology is called in the slang of athletes) to Russia. Mitrofanov had previously been convicted of illegal trade in sports drugs - on May 23, 2012, the Zhukovsky City Court sentenced him to a fine of 100 thousand rubles under Part 3 of Article 234 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Illegal trafficking in potent or toxic substances for the purpose of sale." However, he quickly agreed to Pashchenko's proposal - and the Moldovan "pharma" went to Moscow. Steroids were delivered on trains Chisinau - Moscow through conductors. They were received by Mitrofanov and Anton Gints and Yegor Nesterov, who joined him, to distribute among athletes in fitness clubs and the Internet.
The business flourished from August 2012 to April 2014. However, they became interested in the Federal Drug Control Service. The attention of law enforcement officers was attracted by the fact that some of the drugs traded by athletes were included in the list of potent substances. Operational surveillance of Mitrofanov, Gints and Nesterov provided the federal service with the necessary evidence, and in April 2014 the businessmen were detained.
Jurisdictional drugs
In the summer of 2015, a trial began in the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow. The defense of Mitrofanov, Ginz and Nesterov has repeatedly pointed out that the situation is far from being as clear-cut as it seems at first glance. In particular, the prosecution had no evidence that the anabolic steroids confiscated from the defendants were intended for sale and not for personal use. Lawyers also questioned the fact of smuggling, since Nesterov was detained with a batch of drugs on a train that was heading from the Kievsky railway station to Moldova, and not vice versa. Nevertheless, the court recognized the version of the prosecution as justified and handed down harsh sentences to all three.
Mitrofanov was found guilty under part 3 of article 234 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Illegal trafficking in potent or poisonous substances for the purpose of sale”) and part 3 of article 226.1 (“Smuggling of potent, poisonous, poisonous, explosive, radioactive substances”). Sentence - eight years in a strict regime colony. Gints was given five years in a strict regime colony. Nesterov, whose complicity was reduced to the role of a courier, got off with a four-year suspended sentence.
According to lawyer Aleksey Mikhalchik, who defended Mitrofanov at the trial, the young coaches were, in fact, demonized by the Federal Drug Control Service and sentenced by the court to serious terms as drug dealers. Moreover, the whole accusation was based on the testimony of Nesterov, who was promised a suspended sentence in exchange for assistance.
“We received a refusal to satisfy the cassation appeal, but we do not give up hope and are going to apply to the chairman of the Moscow City Court, Olga Egorova, with a request to protest against the verdict. I hope that our arguments will be considered carefully,” the lawyer says.
Athletes' defense is ready to go to the Supreme Court. However, in the court of first instance it was proved that the actions of Mitrofanov, Gints and Nesterov were unequivocally unlawful. Trading in anabolic steroids, athletes did what is expressly prohibited by law. But are these drugs really so dangerous that serious prison sentences should be given for them? Here the opinions of experts differ: some believe that anabolic steroids should be legalized and brought out of the shadows, as is done in a number of European countries. For others, those who illegally trade in sports pharmacology products should be isolated from society on a par with drug traffickers.
“I myself am fond of sports, and I am well aware that in many sports the competition of athletes has turned into a struggle of pharmacists. You can be indignant at this state of affairs, but progress cannot be stopped. The recent meldonium scandal has shown that sports "pharma" can be successfully used for political purposes. And the case of Konstantin Mitrofanov surprises with its one-sidedness,” says Mikhalchik.
Storm in a teacup with anabolics
On the Internet, it is easy to find descriptions of the substances for which the athletes were convicted, although all drugs are considered potent, and their circulation is limited. First of all, it is Stanover - a fairly well-known anabolic used mainly by bodybuilders, powerlifters and athletes. power types sports. It increases strength, provides an increase in muscle mass and enhances muscle relief. Another drug is Naposim, which gives an increase in muscle mass and strengthens bone tissue.
Athletes also traded Decaver, an anabolic steroid that promotes, in particular, pronounced muscle hypertrophy and increased immunity. The drug Strombafort, which improves the relief of muscles, speeds up metabolism and increases appetite, also aroused genuine interest of the FSKN employees. The Turinover tool also appeared in the case - with approximately the same functionality. Finally, the hormonal Proviron-Ver, which enhances erectile function, which is suppressed by many sports pharmacology drugs, was recognized as criminal.
Photo: Valery Melnikov / RIA Novosti
“About 5-6 years ago, a total campaign against doping was launched in our country - and through the efforts of supervisory authorities, anabolic steroids were included in the list of potent substances. I would compare this to when, in order to fight drug addiction, the sale of syringes is banned. The message is clear, but the execution is clearly lame,” says Denis Olisov, director of the Institute of Health and Rehabilitation at the Lesgaft University of Physical Education and Sports.
He explains: anabolics are drugs that andrologists use to improve and restore spermatogenesis. For some men, their reception is almost the only chance to have children. However, due to the extremely rigid position of the regulatory authorities, pharmacies today prefer not to deal with anabolic steroids at all, since this requires a large number of permits. Patients suffer from this, and athletes are largely to blame.
“Anabolics have been unambiguously considered doping all over the world for 20 years, something that gives some participants in the competition unreasonable advantages over others. Not only is their use a scam, they hit hard on health. You see, when the body receives some substances from the outside, it stops producing it. And now a young man, striving for an ideal figure, sits down on anabolic steroids. The production of hormones responsible for spermatogenesis stops in him. Over time, the athlete understands that girls like not only muscles, but also intelligence - and begins to get off these drugs. But he does not produce hormones. At 20-25 years old, a young man is not able to have children. Agree, a terrible price for a beautiful body, ”concludes the expert.
Steroids under the gun of lawmakers
Meanwhile, on August 3, the Ministry of Internal Affairs placed on Federal portal draft regulations draft government decree, according to which two more drugs related to sports pharmacology, ostarine and GW1516, can be included in the list of potent substances. Due to their use in Russian sports big scandals have already flared up. So, in March, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) disqualified for four years the silver medalist of the 2007 World Swimming Championships, Yana Martynova, for using ostarine. In June 2014, she was disqualified for two years for using GW1516. Olympic champion on race walking Elena Lashmanova.
“Ostarin refers to anabolics with an irreversible effect of action. It is used to gain muscle mass. However, there are a number of side effects. Athletes acquire masculine features, and this process is irreversible. As for the GW1516 drug, it improves the quality of proteins in the body, but those who take it have an increased risk of developing cancer, ”explained Andrey Zvonkov, a general practitioner, to Lente.ru.
Supervisory authorities tighten the screws with anabolics for a reason. AT explanatory note According to the document developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to the report of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency published on November 9, 2015, Russians make up 35 percent of athletes who have traces of doping. And given that anabolics, which are not used to treat sexual disorders, have a powerful destructive effect on the human body, then the rigidity of the position in relation to steroids is quite understandable.