Around 50,000 people are estimated to have used anabolic steroids in the past year. Use is thought that have increased among those interested in body building and image enhancement, the ACMD said.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said that new legislation should be introduced to prevent importation of anabolic steroids not intended for medical use.
Greater emphasis should also be placed, the committee said, on education about the risks of anabolic steroids and on interventions to limit use.
‘There is a need for widespread, credible information and advice for users to counteract misinformation provided by various websites that actively promote anabolic steroid use.’
The council issued its advice in a report entitled Consideration of anabolic steroids. It said it was concerned about evidence that use of anabolic steroids was increasing among the general public and among young people in particular.
But it concluded that anabolic steroids should continue to be controlled as Class C drugs under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act.
