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EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT NOT GETTING BUSTED BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO ASK
AN INTERVIEW WITH LEGAL MUSCLE AUTHOR, RICK COLLINS, JD
BY JOHN ROMANO [Senior Editor of Muscular Development magazine]
The United States of America accounts for roughly six percent of the world's population, yet it is responsible for 68% of the world's illegal drug production, and rising, in spite of the fact that the US has formally been fighting a drug war since the Nixon administration. Among this whopping load of illicit items are performance enhancing drugs, i.e. androgens, anabolics, and other related hormones and ancillary drugs that athletes and bodybuilders use in staggering amounts regardless of the illegalities involved. Of the millions of bodybuilders, football players, professional wrestlers, Olympic competitors, other professional and amateur athletes, actors, and guys just wanting to look buff who use these drugs, all of them have one thing in common - in obtaining all this gear, they are breaking numerous federal and or state laws usually to a felonious degree. Users, dealers and smugglers are being incarcerated at a staggering and exponentially growing rate due to laws that are as harsh as they are inappropriate to our cause and because they are ignorant to them as well as their constitutional rights regarding them. Most if not all performance-enhancing drugs are not imminently dangerous, nor do they affect consciousness in a way similar to other recreational drugs, yet they are treated no differently by the government intent on winning a war it simply cannot. Since the US declared war on drugs, drug use across the board has increased - not decreased. Yet, the government is still intent on locking you up if you want to increase lean mass by means they have deemed illicit - in other words, everything that works. All you have to do is look around any hard-core gym to realize that bodybuilders don't give a shit that their gear is illegal; they use it anyway and deal with the consequences if and when they arise. Unfortunately, when the consequences do arise, many an athlete is at best ill prepared to handle the situation and our prisons are filling with iron bros.
Finally, there is a weapon we can use to fight back. It's called Legal Muscle, and any bro intent on jabbing a needle in his hide better damn well read it before he goes shopping in Mexico, Thailand or anywhere over the Internet for his gear. Penned by renowned steroid lawyer Rick Collins, Legal Muscle is the definitive reference for what you are about to get yourself into should you decide to gear up and how to win if the battle comes crashing through your door. Many an athlete is sitting in the can right now watching his hard earned muscle ebb because he was just ignorant of his rights. It no longer has to be that way. If you live in the US and are about to use performance-enhancing drugs, you had better read Legal Muscle first. You might also want to buy a copy for your lawyer too.
After reading his book, I have decided that Rick Collins' effort is not only Herculean, but as ballsy a move as any lawyer has ever made. He definitely isn't going to be making any friends at the prosecutor's office. However, there is such a thing in America as the Constitution, but unfortunately not too many of us have read it, nor understand how it relates to us. Rick isn't out to foil the government, he just wants you to know your rights and how you can protect them, because when your door flies off the hinges and 15 agents burst into you apartment with MP-5s pointed at your head, you are going to need to know what's contained in that little document and how it applies to you. The cops are banking on the fact that you don't, and that's why, more often than not, too many guys are doing time. It's also because many times your lawyer has no idea about juice and the law. Make sure your lawyer reads Legal Muscle before he sets foot in court or find a lawyer who has. Better yet, hire Rick!
But with the millions of juiceheads out there, Rick can't defend every one. So, I sat down with him recently to talk about his book and how it can apply to you. The following are a few of the ideas we passed back and forth regarding Legal Muscle, a book no less important than any of the other books you will read on the subject of building muscle, because while every prison has a weight pile, anyone who's been down will tell you, you build it way better on the outside.
JOHN ROMANO : Rick, a wise old Mafioso once said that if you can't do the time, don't do the crime. But, how can the average musclehead know what he's in for regarding his various juice purchases?
RICK COLLINS: Up until now, he couldn't! Sure, he could rely on his gym or online buddies. All too often their information is based on anecdotal problems that happened to an anonymous friend of a friend. File them under "urban legends." Or he could ask a lawyer who most likely wouldn't have a clue. It's pretty scary. Guys are getting busted more often lately, and a maze of federal statutes, regulations and sentencing guidelines come together to punish them. It's even worse in state court, where each state has the right to enact its own laws to define, schedule and regulate anabolic steroids, and the relevant sections are often buried in public health or other statutes or regulations outside of the criminal code. Bro, it's one thing when you can't do the time. It's another if you don't know the time you could do, and you're not even sure of the crime!
JOHN ROMANO: Every state does whatever it wants? There's no consistency at all? How are we ever to make heads or tails of it?
RICK COLLINS: It's nuts. Take the issue of what's a felony and what's a misdemeanor. You'd surely want to know that before you picked up your personal use D-bol supply, right? In some states, simple possession is a misdemeanor and possession with intent is a felony. In others, simple possession alone is a felony. In Ohio, up to 200 tablets or 16 ml. is a misdemeanor, but more is a felony. In North Carolina, it's up to 100 tabs. In Hawaii, it's up to only 25 tabs! There's no uniformity. In Alabama, simple possession has a statutory maximum sentence of ten years! The overwhelming majority of gym rats have no idea what they're risking if they juice. Legal Muscle spells out all the juice laws, organized state by state, in language everyone can understand. Federal laws, too! I can't believe a book like this has never been written before. I guarantee that there'll be guys who'll read this book and be completely devastated. Some natural guys may just stay natural! After all, not everyone lives in Mexico like you do, Bro! But if guys do choose to get jacked, against legal advice, they'll know exactly what they're facing.
JOHN ROMANO: What constitutes a state case and what is a federal case and which is worse?
RICK COLLINS: Any bust puts a crimp in your day! You can be mandated into rehab, lose your driving privileges, or lose your professional license - even if you successfully avoid a day in jail! State versus federal is very different and no less confusing. But, I explain it all. Legal Muscle includes the first-ever reference table showing exactly how the federal sentencing guidelines apply to every possible quantity of juice. There's nothing like it anywhere else. The book shows how anabolics are different from all other drugs for federal sentencing, and why a state prosecution is often worse than a federal one!
JOHN ROMANO: So, things can get very convoluted. Let's make up a situation so you can give us an idea. Let's say I order 150 Sustonon preloads over the Internet and have them sent from Mexico to a PO box in New Jersey and I get pinched at the Holland Tunnel bringing them home to my apartment in New York, and I have a prior for buying a dime bag of weed in Washington Square Park, just how long a stretch am I looking at?
RICK COLLINS: In that case, you would have broken both state and federal laws and could be prosecuted in both courts without a double jeopardy claim. But the feds would probably just toss it to the Jersey police, who'd charge an intent to sell charge. The weed prior probably wouldn't hurt you much, but if it was a coke prior it might be different. If a school happens to be located near the tunnel, you're in a world of hurt. Jersey has guidelines that give you mandatory prison without parole for drug crimes that take place within "drug-free school zones" even if you don't know the school is there!
JOHN ROMANO: Intent to sell?! Near a school?! But they were all for me! I'm not a drug dealer, I'm a bodybuilder! Don't they know that my training partner and I could use up all that Sus in less than a year?
RICK COLLINS: Planning to "share the wealth" with a training partner? Uh-oh, that's the same as selling in many states, such as New York, where the definition of "sell" includes "to give," even for no money. In your hypothetical, opening your mouth and telling the cops you planned on tossing a few preloads to your bud guarantees an intent to sell charge. See how what you don't know can hurt you?
JOHN ROMANO: Wow, an innocent little deal like that could turn your whole life upside down! I can only imagine how many guys are out there doing the same thing and not even thinking of the implications and never make it home. And every case is different? This is nuts!
RICK COLLINS: There's lots of crazy stuff, and I hit on it all in Legal Muscle. True stories, and plenty of them in great detail. I've spent the last few years listening to what the muscle world wants to know. For example, guys want to know about why and how people become snitches, and about where the boundaries of "anti-aging" juice use lies, and about failing drug tests for steroids. So I've covered it all. Everybody wants to hear about Internet orders and mail order juice, an area where law enforcement has been very active, so I've spent lots of time on that. How packages are flagged and seized; how domestic mail protections differ from international; how warrants are obtained; how controlled deliveries are conducted; the works! The book walks you through various real life scenarios, moment by moment. And it provides the federal statutes and cases that apply.
JOHN ROMANO: Anyone who has been busted knows that the cops lie through their teeth. I know a guy who got a dime dropped on him and when they popped him, the cops found a shit load of gear in his apartment. Nothing else - no money, no guns, no other drugs, just steroids. So, he's sitting there handcuffed in his living room keeping his mouth shut and the cops start doing this good cop bad cop routine and the one supposed "good" cop is telling him, "come on, dude, you can talk to us, it's just juice." So, the guy falls for it and spills his guts. Three other guys ended up going down and this kid gets two years because the "good cop" was the most dangerous guy in the room. Is someone finally going to fill us in on our rights when the door flies off the hinges? This guy's whole fiasco could have been totally avoided had he known what to do in that situation, right?
RICK COLLINS: Lots of well-meaning guys on Internet discussion boards advise to "keep your mouth shut!" and not answer questions in an arrest situation. Good advice, but completely insufficient. It's like telling the batter, "Just hit it over the fence." Knowing what to do and actually following through under stress are two different things. Client after client comes to me after they've confessed under questioning and hanged themselves in the way of a defense. The problem isn't that they didn't know their rights. Most suspects will say that they knew that they shouldn't answer questions, but that somehow they ended up talking. They can't quite explain it, but I will. It's something else that makes people waive their rights, over and over. Legal Muscle exposes the mystery of how and why. This book blows the lid off the topic of police interrogation!
JOHN ROMANO: Can you give us a hint?
RICK COLLINS: A lot of muscleheads think they're tough. They think they're prepared to deal with a police raid or bust. They're dead wrong. When the police crash through the door, guns pointed, the room becomes like a spinning tornado. It doesn't get any better when the suspect is dragged to the coercive environment of the "interview room" at headquarters. The ordinary citizen, or even the seasoned strong man, will never be at a greater psychological disadvantage - surprised, unarmed, and outnumbered by people who do this for a living! That's when physical intimidation is replaced by something much more subtle. The "good cop bad cop" routine you described is just one of many techniques that Legal Muscle reveals. Guys should carefully study every one. You never know when the information in this book will be absolutely crucial. If you wait until a run-in with the police to read this book, it will definitely be too late. Forewarned is forearmed.
JOHN ROMANO: So, it's true then, the cops bank on the fact that you have no clue as to how to stand up for your rights under the law?
RICK COLLINS: There are manuals that train law enforcers in how to extract confessions by psychological manipulation techniques - "tricks" that put even innocent people at risk. The US Supreme Court expressed concern over these manuals right in the Miranda decision itself. These tactics succeed because Americans don't know how they work or how the ordinary person can protect himself from them. I'm going to change all that with Legal Muscle. People are entitled to know what being questioned by the police is all about. There are ways to protect themselves from the power of suggestions and avoid incrimination by their own words.
JOHN ROMANO: Sounds like the principles from Legal Muscle could apply in any police confrontation, like if you're questioned about an assault or possessing ecstasy or coke, or you're stopped for drunk driving?
RICK COLLINS: Any time you're face to face with the police and suspected of wrongdoing, whether you're guilty or innocent, Legal Muscle is the practical guide to protecting your rights in the real world. Dave "the Anabolic Freak" Palumbo read the book and was so swept up he said he just couldn't put it down. He said that it's not just the "hard core" guide to the law, but the hard-core guide to life! The feedback I've gotten from those who've read the book has been utterly amazing!
JOHN ROMANO: Your book hits on all the "lawful" things the cops can do to you, but what about the other stuff? The sneaky underhanded shit when the cops just have a hard on for you? I saw it happen to Dan Duchaine when they nailed him the second time on his GHB beef. This was long before date rape and club drugs so it had nothing to do with some chick getting fucked in a coma in a dark corner of some dance club. The government's agenda seemed to be to get rid of him because he was many times hired as an expert witness in steroid cases and his testimony was getting the defendants off. When the US prosecutor found out he was only going to be charged with a misdemeanor for not labeling the bottles of GHB he sold and not do any time, they recharged him with defrauding the FDA, a felony. Since the FDA wrote the labeling law it was subject to their interpretation and he got railroaded right out of town for two and a-half years. Granted, GHB is a far more nefarious drug than steroids, but, the cops, the media, and the government make it out to be just as bad. Can your book really protect us when the cops have a hard on? It's not like we don't have Rodney King, Waco, Ruby Ridge and other less famous but no less blatant disregards for our rights to make us go hmmmmmmm.
RICK COLLINS: Let's not kid ourselves. There are definitely some bad apples in the bunch. If Legal Muscle makes it harder for these certain members of law enforcement to do shady things to people, I think that's great, and I think it is the responsibility of all of us in my profession to see to it that the law is upheld and our rights are protected. There are bad cops and feds, for sure. Some bad prosecutors, too. But there's a seductive appeal for the beleaguered "juice desperado" to demonize all law enforcement officers like the sports lobby has demonized all juice use. While some bad things can happen to some good people, let's not get carried away. Even the staunchest advocate for privacy usually won't complain if the online FBI guy stops the middle-aged pedophile from sending sexy emails to the neighborhood children! Anyway, most cops and feds are also victims of brainwashing about steroids -- maybe my book will give them food for thought. The fact that government at the institutional level has invested so much effort into the War on Drugs at the expense of protecting us from violent crime and terrorism isn't the fault of the guys in the patrol cars or executing the warrants. They're enforcing laws, as they're required to do, under difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances. Our law enforcers are entitled to our respect. That being said, they're not entitled to expect us to assist in our own conviction. Guilty or innocent, we're each entitled to stand on our rights, and we're entitled to their respect on that. People's rights and how to invoke them shouldn't be a secret. Honest cops and feds should have no problem with my book. There'll still be plenty of fish for them to catch.
JOHN ROMANO: So, basically, Legal Muscle is the only legal defense aid aimed primarily at muscleheads?
RICK COLLINS: Absolutely. I've seen firsthand about every type of anabolic or performance drug case there is in America, from coast to coast. I've seen every type of online-steroid-order-turned-controlled-delivery, including ones where the accused wrote, "Return to Sender" on the package, and how they played out. I've seen confidential informer cases of all varieties, big sales and small. I've seen a guy turned in by his brother, another by his own mother. Time after time, I've seen good guys get busted and then screw themselves over during the arrest process, or hire lawyers who were clueless about the viable defenses. I've seen guys get busted because they didn't know that what they were doing was illegal, and frankly, there are plenty of gray areas. I've had to jump in to assist in countless cases where the accused and his lawyer were equally lost and at the mercy of the government. Quite often, the government was also dreadfully ignorant about steroids and mistaken on the law. I've seen judges improperly punish steroid defendants based on tons of misinformation. The many bodybuilders who've reached out to me over the last few years know my commitment and dedication to them. I've been their voice in courts nationwide. They've been begging me to write this book for a long time. Legal Muscle shares what I know at a cost that everyone can afford.
JOHN ROMANO: Do you think there will be a more mainstream interest too?
RICK COLLINS: I'm sure. Anabolics are everywhere in the news lately, and so much of what's written is crap. No two communities could be further apart than the medical/academic/legal community and the hardcore bodybuilding community on the issue of anabolic steroids. It's an ideological chasm. On the one side, medical and scientific authorities lecture the public on the terrible evils of using anabolic steroids. Their sincere and responsible intention is to discourage teen steroid abuse and to expel performance-enhancing drugs from competitive sports. Yet they're summarily dismissed and even mocked as hypocrites by thousands of members of the muscle world, who jeer at health risk warnings coming from flabby men whom they perceive to be unable to mount a flight of stairs. Both sides of the steroid controversy are hampered by ignorance and misinformation. They speak different languages; neither side can understand the other. This book may be a first step in the process of bridging that gap, in reaching out to both sides of the chasm. If a rudimentary understanding of the concerns and better points of each side can be achieved, much good may come. I think a lot of natural trainers will find this book fascinating, as will plenty of physicians and, hopefully, journalists and politicians.
JOHN ROMANO: Is this book for the legal community as well? Do you think other defense attorneys should have a copy on their shelf?
RICK COLLINS: They'd better! And they'd better read it, too! Based on what I've seen, too many attorneys are poorly serving their clients on juice cases. The lawyers have been as brainwashed as everyone else, so they tend to just rely on their conventional approach in narcotics cases. Many are so busy seeing their clients as junkies or kooks that they overlook crucial issues. Some wouldn't know the issues particular to anabolics if they bit them on the ass. How can a lawyer effectively represent you when he's been indoctrinated by the other side of the ideological chasm, along with the judge and the prosecutor?
JOHN ROMANO: Jeez, Bro, What's the deal? Why do they have such a fucking hard on? Why is juice illegal anyway? I mean, come on, Schedule III? And so few, if any, in the legal community know anything about them. They are such benign drugs; they don't even get you high or illicit any kind of instant effect or gratification. Clearly, someone overreacted.
RICK COLLINS: Like swatting a mosquito with a sledgehammer! Look at the controlled substance schedules. You'll see narcotics, hallucinogens, depressants and stimulants that have an immediate effect on consciousness and mental functioning. With juice, it's totally different. Even "roid rage," if you accept it as a condition distinct and apart from a guy's general predisposition to be an asshole, reportedly takes a while to brew. Anabolics are the orange in the apple crate of the Controlled Substances Act. They're the only hormones in there. Why? Is it because they're supposedly dangerous? No, because that's not one of the requisite factors to control a substance. Besides, if we were really interested in saving lives, we would have long ago controlled dangerously addictive substances like alcohol and tobacco that take lives every day. Anabolics came to be controlled for very different reasons. If you're looking to point the finger, the place to start is the organized sports lobby.
JOHN ROMANO: Why? What's their agenda? Why do they even care if we get big and ripped? We are not hurting anyone, I don't even think ourselves.
RICK COLLINS: In a weight room back in 1956, a Dr. John Ziegler passed around some tablets made by a pharmaceutical company named CIBA. The tablets were Dianabol, and contained the anabolic steroid methandrostenolone. Nobody in the general public much cared. In fact, nobody much cared for about thirty years, even as steroid use in bodybuilding mushroomed. Historically, bodybuilding has always been a subculture on society's fringe, occasionally sparking curiosity but generally ignored.
JOHN ROMANO: So what changed things?
RICK COLLINS: Anabolics broke through into the mainstream. In the 1980's, rumors started surfacing about steroid use in popular sports, at the professional and collegiate levels. The story started building steam in the media. Then it exploded. When Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for Winny in 1988 and was stripped of his Olympic medal, it was an international incident. Suddenly, elite athletics seemed less about discipline, training, innate gifts and sportsmanship, and more about who's got the better drugs. Sports ethics became a joke. Somebody quipped that Dianabol was the "breakfast of champions." It was a bad scene. Understandably, the sports establishments freaked over the potential fallout. Elite level sports are big business, with the big four professional sports reportedly pulling in over a billion dollars each in annual gross revenues. Look at what a cash cow the Olympics are! Imagine the economic disaster that would result if the integrity of sports was compromised and the public became disenchanted…?
JOHN ROMANO: From a legal and ethical standpoint, just how full of shit has the sports lobby been?
RICK COLLINS: Chockfull. They recruited a gaggle of "yes men" with medical diplomas or science degrees to aid and abet them. The initial strategy was to convince athletes that anabolic steroids don't build muscle. "Studies" were conducted into the relationship between anabolics and muscle growth using intentionally flawed designs to superficially support the desired conclusion. Then, with absolutely straight faces, they publicly pronounced the party line position despite monstrously overwhelming anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Of course, the truth could be hidden for only so long. By the time the medical community and sports establishment had to confess that steroids were effective, they'd found a much more convincing argument to deter use: anabolic steroids can kill. It was a brilliant and compelling approach: what would be a better disincentive to a health-conscious athlete than risking the loss of his life? Moreover, there was a legitimate foundation in the medical literature linking anabolic steroids with serious health risks. By distorting that data to oversimplify and exaggerate the actual risks presented to healthy mature adult males, the sports lobby successfully brainwashed the public. Even today, is it a coincidence that media talking heads on steroid medical risks happen to be officials of the Olympic and professional anti-doping organizations? Hmmmm…
JOHN ROMANO: What about the congressional hearings on juice? Was Congress misled?
RICK COLLINS: They couldn't have been misled if they didn't want to be. Most of the witnesses who testified, including medical professionals and representatives of regulatory agencies (including the FDA, the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse) recommended against controlling juice! Even the American Medical Association opposed it, maintaining that steroid abuse does not lead to the physical or psychological dependence required for scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act. But Congress ignored these experts and scheduled juice. They had determined to give the sports lobby exactly what it wanted, and not much else apparently mattered.
JOHN ROMANO: Why has the government made steroids out to be the devil's brew? Haven't the risks been just a tad overstated?
RICK COLLINS: They're fighting a War on Drugs, and propaganda is one of the weapons of choice. Parents want their teenagers protected and won't complain if the case is overstated. They think scare tactics work.
JOHN ROMANO: Obviously they don't, drug use is way up!
RICK COLLINS: Of course scare tactics don't work anymore. Teen steroid use is rising. Like Chicken Little's false alarms of "The sky is falling," the government's steroid warnings have lost all credibility. Which is a shame, really, because teen juice use is a significant problem that should be effectively discouraged. I'm trying to do that by dedicating a whole chapter of Legal Muscle to teen juice use. It addresses teens with honesty. I hope it helps parents, coaches and trainers to understand and talk with teens about steroids without bullshit or scare tactics.
JOHN ROMANO: What about the media? Just how full of shit are they?
RICK COLLINS: Plenty. News is a business. Two fundamental tenets underlie most of what we see and read in the news: keep it simple and keep it negative. They keep it simple because they see people as basically stupid, and making the story easy to understand reaches the broadest possible audience of viewers, readers and advertisers, right on down to the mentally retarded, the poorly educated, children and "Hee Haw" viewers. My nine-year-old daughter, once catching a few minutes of "Road Warrior" on network television, asked about the central character, "Is he a good guy or a bad guy?" Kids always ask that. To them, it's that simple. They don't want to hear about moral ambiguities or see shades of gray. Of course, beyond childhood, life is rarely so simple. But that hasn't deterred modern mainstream journalism. Keeping the story negative is even more important. Alarming the public and fomenting hysteria will glue everyone's eyes to their television sets and keep them buying newspapers. "Something in your refrigerator may be poisoning you. What? Watch the News at 11," will reel them in. Maybe we are stupid after all, if we keep listening to these slime balls so uncritically.
JOHN ROMANO: We know the truth because we are in the trenches, but how can anyone tell what the real health risks are without running their own studies?
RICK COLLINS: It's tough. There's plenty in the medical literature on anabolic steroids, but not all of it applies to healthy athletes. Some of it is conflicting. There's not much in the way of long-term studies. And sometimes the raw data from a study don't support the conclusions. The sports lobby, government and media all have agenda to simplify and scare. How anabolic steroids affect the health of non-medical users is a complicated topic that simply can't be reduced to a "good or bad" bottom line. Steroid "gurus" who claim that massive dosages for prolonged cycles are perfectly safe are just as ridiculous and irresponsible as anti-steroid propagandists who claim that two Winstrol tabs will make your liver fall out. I spent untold hours in medical libraries and exploring online medical sites researching juice the past five years. I don't advocate anabolics, especially black market illegal juice use in the absence of physician monitoring. Anyone thinking about using juice or any drug, either medically or non-medically, should educate himself on the possible adverse heath effects from reliable, unbiased sources before doing so. Legal Muscle contains an extensive section providing for you the references necessary to investigate the real health risks of using gear.
JOHN ROMANO: So, what's your informed opinion, do you think steroids are safe?
RICK COLLINS: What's "safe"? Nothing is free of risk. Not swimming, not driving, not skiing. Certainly not scuba diving or hang gliding or thrill sports. Aspirin and Tylenol can be quite "unsafe" - in fact, they can kill. Alcohol and tobacco can be, and all too frequently are, deadly - and not just to the user, but to innocent bystanders who share the roads or breathe the same air. Also, what's safe for certain people under particular circumstances can be quite dangerous or deadly for other people or under other circumstances. So, yes, abuse of steroids can have very serious consequences. On the other hand, medical experts who've studied the consequences objectively in mature adult males, not women and teens, have found them to be quite overstated to the public. I'm a lawyer, not a doctor, John. My beef is that we've enacted laws based on distorted or exaggerated information, to one extent or another, and I see clients everyday who are suffering because of it.
JOHN ROMANO: Why? Why is the government lying to us under the guise of protecting us?
RICK COLLINS: Well, you know how in court they say to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"? The government is telling the truth. They just aren't telling the whole truth, and sometimes in addition to the truth they're tossing in a little bit extra that might be something "but the truth." As far as protecting us, restricting drugs from those who might abuse them does protect some folks who might have hurt themselves. But prohibition has its own costs. Those determined to use steroids will still get them, and their use of them will be less safe because of the government policy. Not to mention that some good people will get busted and have their lives turned upside down.
JOHN ROMANO: What do you see as the long-term impact Legal Muscle will have on bodybuilding?
RICK COLLINS: Personally, I think drug use in bodybuilding at the elite level has gone way too far. The obvious abuse of anabolics and other considerably more dangerous drugs needs to be addressed. So does the growing problem of teen use, and the proliferation of juice in pro sports. But I don't want to see these problems addressed by more of the same overly broad laws that lock people up who have no direct connection to those problems. The fact that thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens have been prosecuted for laws that were made to preserve the "purity" of athletic games that they don't play is deeply troubling to me. I hope Legal Muscle helps them to exercise the rights they're entitled to. I also hope it provides food for thought on all sides, and kicks open the door for reevaluation of our nation's steroid laws, which prevent and punish the medically supervised use of anabolics for muscle-building in non-competing mature males. The sports lobby has fooled Congress and America. The time for truth has come, and someone has to stand up for it.
[© 2003. All rights reserved. Adapted from an interview that originally appeared in the December 2002 issue of Muscular Development magazine]
Rick Collins, J.D., a veteran lawyer and former competitive bodybuilder, is the author of the controversial new book LEGAL MUSCLE: Anabolics in America, available through this site. [© Rick Collins, 2003. All rights reserved. For informational purposes only, not to be construed as legal advice.]
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT NOT GETTING BUSTED BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO ASK
AN INTERVIEW WITH LEGAL MUSCLE AUTHOR, RICK COLLINS, JD
BY JOHN ROMANO [Senior Editor of Muscular Development magazine]
The United States of America accounts for roughly six percent of the world's population, yet it is responsible for 68% of the world's illegal drug production, and rising, in spite of the fact that the US has formally been fighting a drug war since the Nixon administration. Among this whopping load of illicit items are performance enhancing drugs, i.e. androgens, anabolics, and other related hormones and ancillary drugs that athletes and bodybuilders use in staggering amounts regardless of the illegalities involved. Of the millions of bodybuilders, football players, professional wrestlers, Olympic competitors, other professional and amateur athletes, actors, and guys just wanting to look buff who use these drugs, all of them have one thing in common - in obtaining all this gear, they are breaking numerous federal and or state laws usually to a felonious degree. Users, dealers and smugglers are being incarcerated at a staggering and exponentially growing rate due to laws that are as harsh as they are inappropriate to our cause and because they are ignorant to them as well as their constitutional rights regarding them. Most if not all performance-enhancing drugs are not imminently dangerous, nor do they affect consciousness in a way similar to other recreational drugs, yet they are treated no differently by the government intent on winning a war it simply cannot. Since the US declared war on drugs, drug use across the board has increased - not decreased. Yet, the government is still intent on locking you up if you want to increase lean mass by means they have deemed illicit - in other words, everything that works. All you have to do is look around any hard-core gym to realize that bodybuilders don't give a shit that their gear is illegal; they use it anyway and deal with the consequences if and when they arise. Unfortunately, when the consequences do arise, many an athlete is at best ill prepared to handle the situation and our prisons are filling with iron bros.
Finally, there is a weapon we can use to fight back. It's called Legal Muscle, and any bro intent on jabbing a needle in his hide better damn well read it before he goes shopping in Mexico, Thailand or anywhere over the Internet for his gear. Penned by renowned steroid lawyer Rick Collins, Legal Muscle is the definitive reference for what you are about to get yourself into should you decide to gear up and how to win if the battle comes crashing through your door. Many an athlete is sitting in the can right now watching his hard earned muscle ebb because he was just ignorant of his rights. It no longer has to be that way. If you live in the US and are about to use performance-enhancing drugs, you had better read Legal Muscle first. You might also want to buy a copy for your lawyer too.
After reading his book, I have decided that Rick Collins' effort is not only Herculean, but as ballsy a move as any lawyer has ever made. He definitely isn't going to be making any friends at the prosecutor's office. However, there is such a thing in America as the Constitution, but unfortunately not too many of us have read it, nor understand how it relates to us. Rick isn't out to foil the government, he just wants you to know your rights and how you can protect them, because when your door flies off the hinges and 15 agents burst into you apartment with MP-5s pointed at your head, you are going to need to know what's contained in that little document and how it applies to you. The cops are banking on the fact that you don't, and that's why, more often than not, too many guys are doing time. It's also because many times your lawyer has no idea about juice and the law. Make sure your lawyer reads Legal Muscle before he sets foot in court or find a lawyer who has. Better yet, hire Rick!
But with the millions of juiceheads out there, Rick can't defend every one. So, I sat down with him recently to talk about his book and how it can apply to you. The following are a few of the ideas we passed back and forth regarding Legal Muscle, a book no less important than any of the other books you will read on the subject of building muscle, because while every prison has a weight pile, anyone who's been down will tell you, you build it way better on the outside.
JOHN ROMANO : Rick, a wise old Mafioso once said that if you can't do the time, don't do the crime. But, how can the average musclehead know what he's in for regarding his various juice purchases?
RICK COLLINS: Up until now, he couldn't! Sure, he could rely on his gym or online buddies. All too often their information is based on anecdotal problems that happened to an anonymous friend of a friend. File them under "urban legends." Or he could ask a lawyer who most likely wouldn't have a clue. It's pretty scary. Guys are getting busted more often lately, and a maze of federal statutes, regulations and sentencing guidelines come together to punish them. It's even worse in state court, where each state has the right to enact its own laws to define, schedule and regulate anabolic steroids, and the relevant sections are often buried in public health or other statutes or regulations outside of the criminal code. Bro, it's one thing when you can't do the time. It's another if you don't know the time you could do, and you're not even sure of the crime!
JOHN ROMANO: Every state does whatever it wants? There's no consistency at all? How are we ever to make heads or tails of it?
RICK COLLINS: It's nuts. Take the issue of what's a felony and what's a misdemeanor. You'd surely want to know that before you picked up your personal use D-bol supply, right? In some states, simple possession is a misdemeanor and possession with intent is a felony. In others, simple possession alone is a felony. In Ohio, up to 200 tablets or 16 ml. is a misdemeanor, but more is a felony. In North Carolina, it's up to 100 tabs. In Hawaii, it's up to only 25 tabs! There's no uniformity. In Alabama, simple possession has a statutory maximum sentence of ten years! The overwhelming majority of gym rats have no idea what they're risking if they juice. Legal Muscle spells out all the juice laws, organized state by state, in language everyone can understand. Federal laws, too! I can't believe a book like this has never been written before. I guarantee that there'll be guys who'll read this book and be completely devastated. Some natural guys may just stay natural! After all, not everyone lives in Mexico like you do, Bro! But if guys do choose to get jacked, against legal advice, they'll know exactly what they're facing.
JOHN ROMANO: What constitutes a state case and what is a federal case and which is worse?
RICK COLLINS: Any bust puts a crimp in your day! You can be mandated into rehab, lose your driving privileges, or lose your professional license - even if you successfully avoid a day in jail! State versus federal is very different and no less confusing. But, I explain it all. Legal Muscle includes the first-ever reference table showing exactly how the federal sentencing guidelines apply to every possible quantity of juice. There's nothing like it anywhere else. The book shows how anabolics are different from all other drugs for federal sentencing, and why a state prosecution is often worse than a federal one!
JOHN ROMANO: So, things can get very convoluted. Let's make up a situation so you can give us an idea. Let's say I order 150 Sustonon preloads over the Internet and have them sent from Mexico to a PO box in New Jersey and I get pinched at the Holland Tunnel bringing them home to my apartment in New York, and I have a prior for buying a dime bag of weed in Washington Square Park, just how long a stretch am I looking at?
RICK COLLINS: In that case, you would have broken both state and federal laws and could be prosecuted in both courts without a double jeopardy claim. But the feds would probably just toss it to the Jersey police, who'd charge an intent to sell charge. The weed prior probably wouldn't hurt you much, but if it was a coke prior it might be different. If a school happens to be located near the tunnel, you're in a world of hurt. Jersey has guidelines that give you mandatory prison without parole for drug crimes that take place within "drug-free school zones" even if you don't know the school is there!
JOHN ROMANO: Intent to sell?! Near a school?! But they were all for me! I'm not a drug dealer, I'm a bodybuilder! Don't they know that my training partner and I could use up all that Sus in less than a year?
RICK COLLINS: Planning to "share the wealth" with a training partner? Uh-oh, that's the same as selling in many states, such as New York, where the definition of "sell" includes "to give," even for no money. In your hypothetical, opening your mouth and telling the cops you planned on tossing a few preloads to your bud guarantees an intent to sell charge. See how what you don't know can hurt you?
JOHN ROMANO: Wow, an innocent little deal like that could turn your whole life upside down! I can only imagine how many guys are out there doing the same thing and not even thinking of the implications and never make it home. And every case is different? This is nuts!
RICK COLLINS: There's lots of crazy stuff, and I hit on it all in Legal Muscle. True stories, and plenty of them in great detail. I've spent the last few years listening to what the muscle world wants to know. For example, guys want to know about why and how people become snitches, and about where the boundaries of "anti-aging" juice use lies, and about failing drug tests for steroids. So I've covered it all. Everybody wants to hear about Internet orders and mail order juice, an area where law enforcement has been very active, so I've spent lots of time on that. How packages are flagged and seized; how domestic mail protections differ from international; how warrants are obtained; how controlled deliveries are conducted; the works! The book walks you through various real life scenarios, moment by moment. And it provides the federal statutes and cases that apply.
JOHN ROMANO: Anyone who has been busted knows that the cops lie through their teeth. I know a guy who got a dime dropped on him and when they popped him, the cops found a shit load of gear in his apartment. Nothing else - no money, no guns, no other drugs, just steroids. So, he's sitting there handcuffed in his living room keeping his mouth shut and the cops start doing this good cop bad cop routine and the one supposed "good" cop is telling him, "come on, dude, you can talk to us, it's just juice." So, the guy falls for it and spills his guts. Three other guys ended up going down and this kid gets two years because the "good cop" was the most dangerous guy in the room. Is someone finally going to fill us in on our rights when the door flies off the hinges? This guy's whole fiasco could have been totally avoided had he known what to do in that situation, right?
RICK COLLINS: Lots of well-meaning guys on Internet discussion boards advise to "keep your mouth shut!" and not answer questions in an arrest situation. Good advice, but completely insufficient. It's like telling the batter, "Just hit it over the fence." Knowing what to do and actually following through under stress are two different things. Client after client comes to me after they've confessed under questioning and hanged themselves in the way of a defense. The problem isn't that they didn't know their rights. Most suspects will say that they knew that they shouldn't answer questions, but that somehow they ended up talking. They can't quite explain it, but I will. It's something else that makes people waive their rights, over and over. Legal Muscle exposes the mystery of how and why. This book blows the lid off the topic of police interrogation!
JOHN ROMANO: Can you give us a hint?
RICK COLLINS: A lot of muscleheads think they're tough. They think they're prepared to deal with a police raid or bust. They're dead wrong. When the police crash through the door, guns pointed, the room becomes like a spinning tornado. It doesn't get any better when the suspect is dragged to the coercive environment of the "interview room" at headquarters. The ordinary citizen, or even the seasoned strong man, will never be at a greater psychological disadvantage - surprised, unarmed, and outnumbered by people who do this for a living! That's when physical intimidation is replaced by something much more subtle. The "good cop bad cop" routine you described is just one of many techniques that Legal Muscle reveals. Guys should carefully study every one. You never know when the information in this book will be absolutely crucial. If you wait until a run-in with the police to read this book, it will definitely be too late. Forewarned is forearmed.
JOHN ROMANO: So, it's true then, the cops bank on the fact that you have no clue as to how to stand up for your rights under the law?
RICK COLLINS: There are manuals that train law enforcers in how to extract confessions by psychological manipulation techniques - "tricks" that put even innocent people at risk. The US Supreme Court expressed concern over these manuals right in the Miranda decision itself. These tactics succeed because Americans don't know how they work or how the ordinary person can protect himself from them. I'm going to change all that with Legal Muscle. People are entitled to know what being questioned by the police is all about. There are ways to protect themselves from the power of suggestions and avoid incrimination by their own words.
JOHN ROMANO: Sounds like the principles from Legal Muscle could apply in any police confrontation, like if you're questioned about an assault or possessing ecstasy or coke, or you're stopped for drunk driving?
RICK COLLINS: Any time you're face to face with the police and suspected of wrongdoing, whether you're guilty or innocent, Legal Muscle is the practical guide to protecting your rights in the real world. Dave "the Anabolic Freak" Palumbo read the book and was so swept up he said he just couldn't put it down. He said that it's not just the "hard core" guide to the law, but the hard-core guide to life! The feedback I've gotten from those who've read the book has been utterly amazing!
JOHN ROMANO: Your book hits on all the "lawful" things the cops can do to you, but what about the other stuff? The sneaky underhanded shit when the cops just have a hard on for you? I saw it happen to Dan Duchaine when they nailed him the second time on his GHB beef. This was long before date rape and club drugs so it had nothing to do with some chick getting fucked in a coma in a dark corner of some dance club. The government's agenda seemed to be to get rid of him because he was many times hired as an expert witness in steroid cases and his testimony was getting the defendants off. When the US prosecutor found out he was only going to be charged with a misdemeanor for not labeling the bottles of GHB he sold and not do any time, they recharged him with defrauding the FDA, a felony. Since the FDA wrote the labeling law it was subject to their interpretation and he got railroaded right out of town for two and a-half years. Granted, GHB is a far more nefarious drug than steroids, but, the cops, the media, and the government make it out to be just as bad. Can your book really protect us when the cops have a hard on? It's not like we don't have Rodney King, Waco, Ruby Ridge and other less famous but no less blatant disregards for our rights to make us go hmmmmmmm.
RICK COLLINS: Let's not kid ourselves. There are definitely some bad apples in the bunch. If Legal Muscle makes it harder for these certain members of law enforcement to do shady things to people, I think that's great, and I think it is the responsibility of all of us in my profession to see to it that the law is upheld and our rights are protected. There are bad cops and feds, for sure. Some bad prosecutors, too. But there's a seductive appeal for the beleaguered "juice desperado" to demonize all law enforcement officers like the sports lobby has demonized all juice use. While some bad things can happen to some good people, let's not get carried away. Even the staunchest advocate for privacy usually won't complain if the online FBI guy stops the middle-aged pedophile from sending sexy emails to the neighborhood children! Anyway, most cops and feds are also victims of brainwashing about steroids -- maybe my book will give them food for thought. The fact that government at the institutional level has invested so much effort into the War on Drugs at the expense of protecting us from violent crime and terrorism isn't the fault of the guys in the patrol cars or executing the warrants. They're enforcing laws, as they're required to do, under difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances. Our law enforcers are entitled to our respect. That being said, they're not entitled to expect us to assist in our own conviction. Guilty or innocent, we're each entitled to stand on our rights, and we're entitled to their respect on that. People's rights and how to invoke them shouldn't be a secret. Honest cops and feds should have no problem with my book. There'll still be plenty of fish for them to catch.
JOHN ROMANO: So, basically, Legal Muscle is the only legal defense aid aimed primarily at muscleheads?
RICK COLLINS: Absolutely. I've seen firsthand about every type of anabolic or performance drug case there is in America, from coast to coast. I've seen every type of online-steroid-order-turned-controlled-delivery, including ones where the accused wrote, "Return to Sender" on the package, and how they played out. I've seen confidential informer cases of all varieties, big sales and small. I've seen a guy turned in by his brother, another by his own mother. Time after time, I've seen good guys get busted and then screw themselves over during the arrest process, or hire lawyers who were clueless about the viable defenses. I've seen guys get busted because they didn't know that what they were doing was illegal, and frankly, there are plenty of gray areas. I've had to jump in to assist in countless cases where the accused and his lawyer were equally lost and at the mercy of the government. Quite often, the government was also dreadfully ignorant about steroids and mistaken on the law. I've seen judges improperly punish steroid defendants based on tons of misinformation. The many bodybuilders who've reached out to me over the last few years know my commitment and dedication to them. I've been their voice in courts nationwide. They've been begging me to write this book for a long time. Legal Muscle shares what I know at a cost that everyone can afford.
JOHN ROMANO: Do you think there will be a more mainstream interest too?
RICK COLLINS: I'm sure. Anabolics are everywhere in the news lately, and so much of what's written is crap. No two communities could be further apart than the medical/academic/legal community and the hardcore bodybuilding community on the issue of anabolic steroids. It's an ideological chasm. On the one side, medical and scientific authorities lecture the public on the terrible evils of using anabolic steroids. Their sincere and responsible intention is to discourage teen steroid abuse and to expel performance-enhancing drugs from competitive sports. Yet they're summarily dismissed and even mocked as hypocrites by thousands of members of the muscle world, who jeer at health risk warnings coming from flabby men whom they perceive to be unable to mount a flight of stairs. Both sides of the steroid controversy are hampered by ignorance and misinformation. They speak different languages; neither side can understand the other. This book may be a first step in the process of bridging that gap, in reaching out to both sides of the chasm. If a rudimentary understanding of the concerns and better points of each side can be achieved, much good may come. I think a lot of natural trainers will find this book fascinating, as will plenty of physicians and, hopefully, journalists and politicians.
JOHN ROMANO: Is this book for the legal community as well? Do you think other defense attorneys should have a copy on their shelf?
RICK COLLINS: They'd better! And they'd better read it, too! Based on what I've seen, too many attorneys are poorly serving their clients on juice cases. The lawyers have been as brainwashed as everyone else, so they tend to just rely on their conventional approach in narcotics cases. Many are so busy seeing their clients as junkies or kooks that they overlook crucial issues. Some wouldn't know the issues particular to anabolics if they bit them on the ass. How can a lawyer effectively represent you when he's been indoctrinated by the other side of the ideological chasm, along with the judge and the prosecutor?
JOHN ROMANO: Jeez, Bro, What's the deal? Why do they have such a fucking hard on? Why is juice illegal anyway? I mean, come on, Schedule III? And so few, if any, in the legal community know anything about them. They are such benign drugs; they don't even get you high or illicit any kind of instant effect or gratification. Clearly, someone overreacted.
RICK COLLINS: Like swatting a mosquito with a sledgehammer! Look at the controlled substance schedules. You'll see narcotics, hallucinogens, depressants and stimulants that have an immediate effect on consciousness and mental functioning. With juice, it's totally different. Even "roid rage," if you accept it as a condition distinct and apart from a guy's general predisposition to be an asshole, reportedly takes a while to brew. Anabolics are the orange in the apple crate of the Controlled Substances Act. They're the only hormones in there. Why? Is it because they're supposedly dangerous? No, because that's not one of the requisite factors to control a substance. Besides, if we were really interested in saving lives, we would have long ago controlled dangerously addictive substances like alcohol and tobacco that take lives every day. Anabolics came to be controlled for very different reasons. If you're looking to point the finger, the place to start is the organized sports lobby.
JOHN ROMANO: Why? What's their agenda? Why do they even care if we get big and ripped? We are not hurting anyone, I don't even think ourselves.
RICK COLLINS: In a weight room back in 1956, a Dr. John Ziegler passed around some tablets made by a pharmaceutical company named CIBA. The tablets were Dianabol, and contained the anabolic steroid methandrostenolone. Nobody in the general public much cared. In fact, nobody much cared for about thirty years, even as steroid use in bodybuilding mushroomed. Historically, bodybuilding has always been a subculture on society's fringe, occasionally sparking curiosity but generally ignored.
JOHN ROMANO: So what changed things?
RICK COLLINS: Anabolics broke through into the mainstream. In the 1980's, rumors started surfacing about steroid use in popular sports, at the professional and collegiate levels. The story started building steam in the media. Then it exploded. When Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for Winny in 1988 and was stripped of his Olympic medal, it was an international incident. Suddenly, elite athletics seemed less about discipline, training, innate gifts and sportsmanship, and more about who's got the better drugs. Sports ethics became a joke. Somebody quipped that Dianabol was the "breakfast of champions." It was a bad scene. Understandably, the sports establishments freaked over the potential fallout. Elite level sports are big business, with the big four professional sports reportedly pulling in over a billion dollars each in annual gross revenues. Look at what a cash cow the Olympics are! Imagine the economic disaster that would result if the integrity of sports was compromised and the public became disenchanted…?
JOHN ROMANO: From a legal and ethical standpoint, just how full of shit has the sports lobby been?
RICK COLLINS: Chockfull. They recruited a gaggle of "yes men" with medical diplomas or science degrees to aid and abet them. The initial strategy was to convince athletes that anabolic steroids don't build muscle. "Studies" were conducted into the relationship between anabolics and muscle growth using intentionally flawed designs to superficially support the desired conclusion. Then, with absolutely straight faces, they publicly pronounced the party line position despite monstrously overwhelming anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Of course, the truth could be hidden for only so long. By the time the medical community and sports establishment had to confess that steroids were effective, they'd found a much more convincing argument to deter use: anabolic steroids can kill. It was a brilliant and compelling approach: what would be a better disincentive to a health-conscious athlete than risking the loss of his life? Moreover, there was a legitimate foundation in the medical literature linking anabolic steroids with serious health risks. By distorting that data to oversimplify and exaggerate the actual risks presented to healthy mature adult males, the sports lobby successfully brainwashed the public. Even today, is it a coincidence that media talking heads on steroid medical risks happen to be officials of the Olympic and professional anti-doping organizations? Hmmmm…
JOHN ROMANO: What about the congressional hearings on juice? Was Congress misled?
RICK COLLINS: They couldn't have been misled if they didn't want to be. Most of the witnesses who testified, including medical professionals and representatives of regulatory agencies (including the FDA, the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse) recommended against controlling juice! Even the American Medical Association opposed it, maintaining that steroid abuse does not lead to the physical or psychological dependence required for scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act. But Congress ignored these experts and scheduled juice. They had determined to give the sports lobby exactly what it wanted, and not much else apparently mattered.
JOHN ROMANO: Why has the government made steroids out to be the devil's brew? Haven't the risks been just a tad overstated?
RICK COLLINS: They're fighting a War on Drugs, and propaganda is one of the weapons of choice. Parents want their teenagers protected and won't complain if the case is overstated. They think scare tactics work.
JOHN ROMANO: Obviously they don't, drug use is way up!
RICK COLLINS: Of course scare tactics don't work anymore. Teen steroid use is rising. Like Chicken Little's false alarms of "The sky is falling," the government's steroid warnings have lost all credibility. Which is a shame, really, because teen juice use is a significant problem that should be effectively discouraged. I'm trying to do that by dedicating a whole chapter of Legal Muscle to teen juice use. It addresses teens with honesty. I hope it helps parents, coaches and trainers to understand and talk with teens about steroids without bullshit or scare tactics.
JOHN ROMANO: What about the media? Just how full of shit are they?
RICK COLLINS: Plenty. News is a business. Two fundamental tenets underlie most of what we see and read in the news: keep it simple and keep it negative. They keep it simple because they see people as basically stupid, and making the story easy to understand reaches the broadest possible audience of viewers, readers and advertisers, right on down to the mentally retarded, the poorly educated, children and "Hee Haw" viewers. My nine-year-old daughter, once catching a few minutes of "Road Warrior" on network television, asked about the central character, "Is he a good guy or a bad guy?" Kids always ask that. To them, it's that simple. They don't want to hear about moral ambiguities or see shades of gray. Of course, beyond childhood, life is rarely so simple. But that hasn't deterred modern mainstream journalism. Keeping the story negative is even more important. Alarming the public and fomenting hysteria will glue everyone's eyes to their television sets and keep them buying newspapers. "Something in your refrigerator may be poisoning you. What? Watch the News at 11," will reel them in. Maybe we are stupid after all, if we keep listening to these slime balls so uncritically.
JOHN ROMANO: We know the truth because we are in the trenches, but how can anyone tell what the real health risks are without running their own studies?
RICK COLLINS: It's tough. There's plenty in the medical literature on anabolic steroids, but not all of it applies to healthy athletes. Some of it is conflicting. There's not much in the way of long-term studies. And sometimes the raw data from a study don't support the conclusions. The sports lobby, government and media all have agenda to simplify and scare. How anabolic steroids affect the health of non-medical users is a complicated topic that simply can't be reduced to a "good or bad" bottom line. Steroid "gurus" who claim that massive dosages for prolonged cycles are perfectly safe are just as ridiculous and irresponsible as anti-steroid propagandists who claim that two Winstrol tabs will make your liver fall out. I spent untold hours in medical libraries and exploring online medical sites researching juice the past five years. I don't advocate anabolics, especially black market illegal juice use in the absence of physician monitoring. Anyone thinking about using juice or any drug, either medically or non-medically, should educate himself on the possible adverse heath effects from reliable, unbiased sources before doing so. Legal Muscle contains an extensive section providing for you the references necessary to investigate the real health risks of using gear.
JOHN ROMANO: So, what's your informed opinion, do you think steroids are safe?
RICK COLLINS: What's "safe"? Nothing is free of risk. Not swimming, not driving, not skiing. Certainly not scuba diving or hang gliding or thrill sports. Aspirin and Tylenol can be quite "unsafe" - in fact, they can kill. Alcohol and tobacco can be, and all too frequently are, deadly - and not just to the user, but to innocent bystanders who share the roads or breathe the same air. Also, what's safe for certain people under particular circumstances can be quite dangerous or deadly for other people or under other circumstances. So, yes, abuse of steroids can have very serious consequences. On the other hand, medical experts who've studied the consequences objectively in mature adult males, not women and teens, have found them to be quite overstated to the public. I'm a lawyer, not a doctor, John. My beef is that we've enacted laws based on distorted or exaggerated information, to one extent or another, and I see clients everyday who are suffering because of it.
JOHN ROMANO: Why? Why is the government lying to us under the guise of protecting us?
RICK COLLINS: Well, you know how in court they say to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"? The government is telling the truth. They just aren't telling the whole truth, and sometimes in addition to the truth they're tossing in a little bit extra that might be something "but the truth." As far as protecting us, restricting drugs from those who might abuse them does protect some folks who might have hurt themselves. But prohibition has its own costs. Those determined to use steroids will still get them, and their use of them will be less safe because of the government policy. Not to mention that some good people will get busted and have their lives turned upside down.
JOHN ROMANO: What do you see as the long-term impact Legal Muscle will have on bodybuilding?
RICK COLLINS: Personally, I think drug use in bodybuilding at the elite level has gone way too far. The obvious abuse of anabolics and other considerably more dangerous drugs needs to be addressed. So does the growing problem of teen use, and the proliferation of juice in pro sports. But I don't want to see these problems addressed by more of the same overly broad laws that lock people up who have no direct connection to those problems. The fact that thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens have been prosecuted for laws that were made to preserve the "purity" of athletic games that they don't play is deeply troubling to me. I hope Legal Muscle helps them to exercise the rights they're entitled to. I also hope it provides food for thought on all sides, and kicks open the door for reevaluation of our nation's steroid laws, which prevent and punish the medically supervised use of anabolics for muscle-building in non-competing mature males. The sports lobby has fooled Congress and America. The time for truth has come, and someone has to stand up for it.
[© 2003. All rights reserved. Adapted from an interview that originally appeared in the December 2002 issue of Muscular Development magazine]
Rick Collins, J.D., a veteran lawyer and former competitive bodybuilder, is the author of the controversial new book LEGAL MUSCLE: Anabolics in America, available through this site. [© Rick Collins, 2003. All rights reserved. For informational purposes only, not to be construed as legal advice.]
