Restrição ao uso de esteroides anabolizantes e a lei 9965 de 2000: mito ou verdade?

Abstract

This present study is justified, taking into account the increasing number of users of anabolic steroids in Brazil. Statistical data from different university research centers evidenced this assertion. Steroid users do not feel frightened or inhibited anymore by the package inserts and sensational newscast that emphasize the possible side effects of these drugs. In Brazil, Anabolic steroids can only be prescribed as treatment for specific diseases according to the Act 9965/00, which establishes the indication of the ICD (International Code of Diseases) only by physicians. However, the use of these substances for increasing physical performance and for aesthetic purposes is historical and cultural. The present research derives from the question if the requirement of the ICD (International Code of Diseases), stamped in the Act 9965/00, reaches the social effects intended by the legislator when it was elaborated, that is, the protection of the "public health" by restricting the consumption of anabolic steroids. However, this research concluded, through data collected directly and indirectly , that: 1) the use of anabolic steroids is not something disconnected from activities related to well-being and health; 2) the number of users of anabolic steroids has only increased, although there is a specific regulation that intended to restrict the consumption; 3) a parallel trade exists outside the physical environment of pharmacies, using the what’s app, the internet and the cellphone, disregarding Regulatory Act 344 of the Brazilian Ministry of Health; 4) The use of anabolic steroids by a particular social group is considered ordinary and, even though these groups are aware of the possible side effects, the use has not been ceased by the regulation. Therefore, in an attempt to safeguard the moral aspiration of "public health", the prohibitive / restrictive mechanism (ICD) exposes users to products without any sort of quality control from an existing black market.