-
May 1, 2008 10:57 pm US/Eastern
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Steroid Use Becomes Growing Problem Among Teens
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
They are small town athletes with big league dreams. Many kids are now taking a cue from their sports heroes and using steroids to try and gain a competitive advantage. About a half dozen law enforcement officials have told WBZ-TV that the number of young steroid users is growing at an alarming rate.
Some states, such as Texas and Illinois, have taken measures to protect kids, but nothing has happened in Massachusetts.
Local high schools students said that steroids are everywhere, and that young athletes use them to be strong. One young man called the situation an epidemic.
U.S. chief inspector Patrick Burke described steroids as a very high priority.
Customs officials are seizing loads of steroids that are making their way from China and Thailand. Last year, the Drug Enforcement Agency seized more than 11 million illegal doses of steroids in "Operation Raw Deal," the largest bust of its kind.
"You don't know where it's coming from," Burke said. "You don't know what it's composed of. You really don't know what it is."
When it comes to high school students, steroids apparently are readily available. A recent federal study found that 40 percent of 12th graders described steroids as easy, or very easy to get.
Craig Costa became addicted to steroids when he was a teenager.
"If you want it bad enough, and the needles bad enough, and you want stuff like that, you will get it. Kids will get it. They aren't stupid," he said.
Costa added that he did the drugs to become big and intense, but admitted they had a devastating effect on his personality.
"My poor parents, and they dealt with me for five years straight. God forbid if they didn't have chicken in the house or enough protein in the house, and I would lose it," Costa said. "I would just scream and be a complete lunatic. I just couldn't calm down."
There have been education campaigns with public service announcements geared towards young athletes. They outline the long term health effects that can impact the liver, kidneys, and cardio vascular system.
Still, Dave Czesniuk with the Center for Sport in Society thinks steroids are a big problem with young athletes. He said that teens are ripe for the mixed message that steroids send.
"Once kids get into high school and college and you start to see kids dealing with image issues, and not necessarily dealing with them effectively."
State Senator Bruce Tarr of Gloucester is sponsoring tougher legislation when it comes to steroids. This bill would raise steroids from a Class "E" substance to a Class "C" substance, indicating their potential for danger.
Click here to read the full text of Sen. Tarr's bill.
Fines and prison terms would also be increased. Tarr said that a strong message about the dangers of steroids needs to be sent to the population in general. This bill has been filed for the past four years, but has not been passed. Senator Tarr hopes that the negative publicity around the professional scandals will give this bill some momentum this year.
In the meantime, this appears to be risk that more kids are willing to take.
As Costa explained, "It's a cheating thing, and on the professional level it bleeds into Triple A, and then it bleeds into collegiate ball, and then it bleeds into high school, and then into 8th grade, and that's how it goes."
In one federal survey, 700,000 high school students admitted to having used steroids.
Steroid Resources For Teens:
Resources For Parents:
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)