In 1988, after Carl Lewis was awarded the gold medal in the 100M dash when Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids, (I believe it was) Lewis stated that he was not really that surprised because he just didn't think that it was humanly possible to run the 100m in 9.79 (Johnson's winning time).
In the past 3 years, 2 american’s have euqaled or surpassed that time.
In today’s Houston Chronicle there is a tiny article (which is a true disappointment considering the magnitude of the accusations) that reads as follows:
According to Terry Madden, the chief executive of the US anti-doping agency: "What we have unconverted appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort (...) this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public"
The drug in question is known as THG and though no athletes were named, it appears that several prominent athletes are a party to this.
I also know for a FACT, that some elite swimmers know of the drug, and believe it is undetectable.
*** This is in no way intimating that any specific athlete has or is using the substance.
It will be interesting to see if any swimmers are caught in the web.
Maybe swimming will be lucky and no one will be found using the drug.
A couple of other comments
Almost every medicine you see was at one time available by prescription only and it was done this way to protect the patent on the drug for 7 years, not to protect the consumers.
Is there really a difference in the patent law between drugs that are prescribed and OTC. I thought they would be the same. If there is a difference is may be because of all the testing (and money for those tests) that has to be done before the drug can be released
"These rules and laws are not designed or enacted for monetary gain, they are enacted to help us and protect us" then please explain why the pharmaceutical lobby is the largest lobby in DC. You really naive enough to think they are spending all those millions to help us? C'mon, money, man, money.
Could you explain that statement in light of the Fortune article ( www.fortune.com/.../0,15233,,00.html ) the top ten lobbying firms are
1. National Rifle Association
2. AARP
3. National Federation of Independent Businesses
4. American Israel Public Afairs Comm
5. Association of Trial Lawyers
6. AFL-CIO
7. Chamber of Commerce
8. National Beer Wholesalers Association (now there is a lobby group I can get behind).
9. National Association of Realtors
10 National Association of Manufacturers.
Well they did not make the top ten
AMA was#12 and American Hospital Association was #13
Pharmaceutical Research was #24
The US has the largest drug problem in the world, hands down, no one else is even close.
What numbers are you using for that statement? The US has the third largest population in the world - if one is going to have problems the US would have a lot of them just because of the the large numbers. Or it could be the US has the largest GDP. With all that wealth some could land in recreational pharmacology. (one would certainly not expect a large drug problem in Congo where the GDP / person is $400).
michael
It will be interesting to see if any swimmers are caught in the web.
Maybe swimming will be lucky and no one will be found using the drug.
A couple of other comments
Almost every medicine you see was at one time available by prescription only and it was done this way to protect the patent on the drug for 7 years, not to protect the consumers.
Is there really a difference in the patent law between drugs that are prescribed and OTC. I thought they would be the same. If there is a difference is may be because of all the testing (and money for those tests) that has to be done before the drug can be released
"These rules and laws are not designed or enacted for monetary gain, they are enacted to help us and protect us" then please explain why the pharmaceutical lobby is the largest lobby in DC. You really naive enough to think they are spending all those millions to help us? C'mon, money, man, money.
Could you explain that statement in light of the Fortune article ( www.fortune.com/.../0,15233,,00.html ) the top ten lobbying firms are
1. National Rifle Association
2. AARP
3. National Federation of Independent Businesses
4. American Israel Public Afairs Comm
5. Association of Trial Lawyers
6. AFL-CIO
7. Chamber of Commerce
8. National Beer Wholesalers Association (now there is a lobby group I can get behind).
9. National Association of Realtors
10 National Association of Manufacturers.
Well they did not make the top ten
AMA was#12 and American Hospital Association was #13
Pharmaceutical Research was #24
The US has the largest drug problem in the world, hands down, no one else is even close.
What numbers are you using for that statement? The US has the third largest population in the world - if one is going to have problems the US would have a lot of them just because of the the large numbers. Or it could be the US has the largest GDP. With all that wealth some could land in recreational pharmacology. (one would certainly not expect a large drug problem in Congo where the GDP / person is $400).
michael
