The first paragraph in the New York Times story said it all: “The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified as controlled substances three steroids that are marketed as dietary supplements, but an antidoping official warned that new steroids have taken their place on the shelves of nutrition stores.” The DEA’s actions are the equivalent of the [...]

ESPN Magazine devotes two well-illustrated and detailed pages on performance-enhancing drugs in a recent issue. This is a must read for every attorney who represents athletes who test positive. The article probably should not be allowed in the libraries of middle and high schools.

We are not sure of the reason, but it seems that every three months or so, a national media outlet weighs in on an old story: tainted nutritional supplements. The latest is a rehash of anecdotes with the same question: Are vitamins safe? So goes the Sept. 7 article in the Wall Street Journal headlined, “What’s Really in Supplements?”

He was a professional athlete. He was minding his own business. And he took responsibility for his problem, even if he did not think he caused it. Was he a famous Amercian baseball, football or basketball star? No, he was a Swedish soccer player — and retired.

The confusion surrounding steroid use in professional baseball has taken another strange turn. The Associated Press and New York Times report that eight of the 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 fall into another category.

Several hours after our post on increased media coverage of the potential danger of supplement use by high school athletes, the Food & Drug Administration held a press conference and issued a public health advisory on body-building products and steroids. The warning was serious: “Due to the potentially serious health risks associated with using these types of products, the FDA recommends that consumers immediately stop using all body building products that claim to contain steroids or steroid-like substances, ” the FDA said in the advisory.