Former bodybuilder turned lawyer Rick Collins changed professions to represent fellow bodybuilders in their combat against legal troubles. He joined Mike O’Hearn on the Nov. 17, 2023, episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show to discuss why certain steroids are banned, the relationship between the law and performance-enhancing substances, and his thoughts on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) crackdown on peptides. Watch the interview below, courtesy of Generation Iron‘s YouTube channel:
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Editor’s Note: BarBend does not intend to make a moral or ethical statement regarding athletes’ actions. This article is reporting on the information provided by athletes themselves. BarBend is not a medical resource and does not endorse the recreational use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Why Steroids Were Banned
O’Hearn believes steroids were banned because of the good they did rather than the harm they caused. Steroids became controlled substances in 1988 after Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson set a world record for the 100-meter race at the Olympics. Johnson tested positive for the anabolic steroid Winstrol. O’Hearn spoke about how helpful certain steroids can be outside the bodybuilding and fitness. A 2018 study in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine found Stanozolol (Winstrol) to be beneficial for liver health. (1)
By 1990, the American government classified anabolic steroids in the same category as cocaine — a Schedule II drug deemed to have a “high potential for abuse” per the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). As of 2020, the DEA classifies anabolic steroids — “synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone that are abused in an attempt to promote muscle growth, enhance athletic or other physical performance, and improve physical appearance” — as Schedule III substances, alongside ketamine, testosterone, and products with 90 milligrams or fewer of codeine.
Peptides
Peptides — exogenous, synthetic chains of amino acids — have become a hot topic over the past few years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) examined anecdotal data from doctors and physicians prescribing peptides and concluded that peptides don’t meet the criteria for effective, safe, and useable drugs.
Collins believes the FDA’s decision is for the protection of Big Pharma. He uses peptide BPC-157 as an example: the “FDA has identified no or only limited safety-related information for proposed routes of administration. Thus, we lack sufficient information to know whether the drug would cause harm when administered to humans.” Therefore, BPC-157 can no longer be prescribed, despite 2014 research demonstrating its effectiveness in healing damaged tendons. (2)
Collins and O’Hearn’s fear is that banning peptides and thereby not allowing reputable sources to administer them could lead to increased sales on the black market. Before the FDA’s ban, reputable peptide sources could administer these products without having to classify them as drugs.
Collins deplores that pharmaceutical companies have malpractice insurance coverage for the sale of peptides because the FDA is suing. He believes lawsuits will increase, though O’Hearn holds hope that the FDA will reverse its ruling on peptides. Collins feels that, at the very least, peptides could be treated similarly to CBD supplements.
“Logic doesn’t always dictate priorities,” says Collins, who believes there are more pressing problems for the FDA than whether or not someone is taking peptides despite a “lack of evidence.” O’Hearn and Collins seemed to agree that the FDA’s designation of peptides does more harm than good.
References
- Ozcagli, E., Kara, M., Kotil, T., Fragkiadaki, P., Tzatzarakis, M. N., Tsitsimpikou, C., Stivaktakis, P. D., Tsoukalas, D., Spandidos, D. A., Tsatsakis, A. M., & Alpertunga, B. (2018). Stanozolol administration combined with exercise leads to decreased telomerase activity possibly associated with liver aging. International journal of molecular medicine, 42(1), 405–413. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3644
- Chang, C. H., Tsai, W. C., Hsu, Y. H., & Pang, J. H. (2014). Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 enhances the growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 19(11), 19066–19077. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules191119066
Featured image: @rickcollinsesq on Instagram
