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Comment by dawidw | Hacker News Reader

They are legal medicine. If you suffer from serious disease, doctor will prescribe them to you.

Now interesting question is: if someone wants to have big muscles - is it serious disease? In some sense it's similar to silicon breast implants - in both cases it's mental 'disease'/disfunction/discomfort - so some doctor's help is needed. Or surgery due to bad looking nose eg.

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Steroids generally prescribed for disease (corticosteroids) are not the same as Anabolic steroids. Same class/grouping but different molecular structure and it's worth making the distinction when talking about the legality of them

Testosterone is used to treat hypogonadism and probably other conditions, so I'm not sure what your point is.

I just thought in the legality discussion its worth making sure people are talking about the same class of steroids as they are already treated and classified differently under the law.

Anabolic steroids are a Class C drug in the UK so in general are illegal to possess and distribute unless prescribed.

  Steroids are not legal lol 
  They are legal medicine

So both these statements are true and false depending on which class of steroid you are talking about or if you are talking about the group as a whole. So to have a productive discussion on the legality you need to be specific about which class and not group them together.

Anabolic steroids are illegal in the US and UK (unless otherwise prescribed) whilst most of the other classes in the UK at least are not illegal to possess or even distribute

> Anabolic steroids are a Class C drug in the UK so in general are illegal to possess and distribute unless prescribed.

So they are legal - only access is controlled (prescription from doctor).

Alcohol and cigarettes are legal - only access is controlled (age).

Violence is legal - only access is controlled (police).

Tortures are not legal - no one has access to do that.

Capital punishment is not legal (in some countries) - no one has access to do that.

Exactly. Testosterone is just a medicine and it's even prescribed to old ladies if their condition need that (I know one such case). Testosterone gives a lot of power when your body is weak after some other treatment. As a side effect (or maybe desired when due to disease you're losing your muscles) is getting more muscles and energy.

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