Legality of steroids in the UK

[weightshead]

i am not a lawyer, this is news to me but heres the lowdown from the horses mouth so to speak:

"The law:

* anabolic steroids are prescription only medicines.
* It is not illegal to possess them for your own use, or to import them for your own use
* it is illegal to supply them without a licence, or to import them for supply to somebody else: Class C penalties apply. "


[ quoted from http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/ab...c-steroids.htm ]

[weightshead]

any brits got experiences with this 'law' first hand?

[Prime]

i believe anabolic steroids are class A now. just a heads up.

[weightshead]

cant find anything via google on them being class A.

and have found recently updated sites on them being class C. such as:

http://www.abpischools.org.uk/resour...ugs/drugs3.asp


from http://www.bradford.ac.uk/admin/cont...drug-laws.html

"Anabolic Steroids are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act as class C drugs but their legal status is complicated. In most situations the possession offence is waived meaning that people who possess or use steroids without a prescription are unlikely to be prosecuted. However, in some areas of the UK police have successfully prosecuted people for possession of steroids when the steroids have not been in the form of a medicinal product. It is always an offence to sell or supply steroids to another person. People can also be prosecuted for possession with intent to supply if they have large quantities of steroids without a prescription for them."

anybody with any input to clarify what the situation is in the UK??

[MASTER]

They are class c, but im pretty sure if u import them, customs will seize them, and probs pay u a visit.

[weightshead]

this site also claims to be an expert resource on the matter, i think i'll phone them during working hours tomorrow...

http://www.drugscope.org.uk/druginfo...\1\2\laws.html

[MASTER]

I dont know y places say that about class c drugs, u can still serve 2 years for possession, but much like with weed, it depends wot mood the police who catch u with it are in and how u react to them, i reckon u wud probs get away with it, but i personally dont reckon its worth the risk.

[weightshead]

They are class c, but im pretty sure if u import them, customs will seize them, and probs pay u a visit.

i agree that they'll seize them, dunno if they'd bother knocking but strangely according to the thames valley police website you _can_ import them.

i think ill phone them up tomorrow as a "concerned" member of the public telling them there is a "mistake" on their website and see what they say...

[MASTER]

Yeh gd idea, im interested to c wot theyll say.

[weightshead]

last thing for tonight. heres the details of the drug schedule in the UK.

note that it again reiterates that anabolics do not need a prescription to be imported.
note anabolics are classed as schedule 4 / part 2 drugs. (see the other links above)

(taken from http://www.addaction.org.uk/Drug_law.htm )

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schedule 1

* Schedule 1 drugs are not authorised for medical use and can only be supplied, possessed or administered by a person authorised by a licence issued by the Home Office. Such licences are granted for research or special purposes.

* These drugs cannot be prescribed by doctors or dispensed by pharmacists.

* This is the closest that British law comes to total prohibition.

* Drugs in schedule 1 include LSD, Cannabis and raw opium.
----------------
Schedule 2

* It is illegal to possess drugs in schedules 2 or 3 without a prescription or other authority.

* A home office licence is required to produce, import, export or supply substances in this schedule.

* Schedule 2 drugs include heroin, cocaine, morphine, pethidine, quinalbarbitone and amphetamine.
----------------
Schedule 3

* It is illegal to possess drugs in schedules 2 or 3 without a prescription or other authority.

* Schedule 3 contains the majority of barbiturates (excluding quinalbarbitone).

* A home office licence is required to export or import and authority is required for production, possession and supply.

* Drugs in this schedule include Diethylporpion, Mazindol, Phentermine and Buprenorphine.
----------------
Schedule 4

* For drugs in schedule 4 (which includes benzodiazepines and pemoline) no prescription or other authority is required to legally possess them, so long as they are in the form of a medicinal product.

* No licence is needed to import or export schedule 4 drugs, but authority is required for production and supply.
----------------
Schedule 5

* Schedule 5 contains the drugs that are considered to pose minimal risk of abuse. These non-injectable small dose preparations can be purchased over the counter at a pharmacy without prescription, but once obtained it is illegal for them to be supplied to another person.

* Many of these preparations include well known cough mixtures and pain killers
----------------

[weightshead]

at last - a definitive article on it.

http://www.mesomorphosis.com/article...ed-kingdom.htm

pretty good news if your british, especially compared to the situation over the pond...

[NotSmall]

Could this really be as good as it seems?

I bloody well hope so me ol' mates!

God save the queen!

Excuse me, this thread has made me come over all patriotic!

[weightshead]

read the article as importing gets complicated - as the definition of medical purposes is a little hazy...

but yes possession seems fine.

[Duke of Earl]

From what i understand you're allowed to import ''3 months personal supply '' of AAS, but they have to be human grade & NOT underground lab, ie they have to be 'medicine type' AAS from manufacturers like Schering, Organon etc so that you can claim they're for a treatment of some kind of medical condition.

[weightshead]

From what i understand you're allowed to import ''3 months personal supply '' of AAS, but they have to be human grade & NOT underground lab, ie they have to be 'medicine type' AAS from manufacturers like Schering, Organon etc so that you can claim they're for a treatment of some kind of medical condition.

i cant comment on the 3 months supply as i just dont know (3 months to a newb and to a bb pro are very different things)

it makes sense that it has to be human grade gear...

but what i dont understand is where are the seemingly no legit credit card order overseas websites that are taking advantage of this? why is it so hard for me as a brit to find a source?

if you pay by credit card and something goes wrong then you can always get your cc company to investigate and do a chargeback to get the money back....

why is it all made so difficult for us brits!

[Duke of Earl]

I think a legit source would have to use prescriptions & also might put themselves in a tricky position if someone had any adverse reactions / problems with AAS they supplied..........however you have a good point- maybe you just spotted a good business op......

[weightshead]

I think a legit source would have to use prescriptions & also might put themselves in a tricky position if someone had any adverse reactions / problems with AAS they supplied..........however you have a good point- maybe you just spotted a good business op......

i see your point about tricky position.

maybe your right about it being an opportunity as i still cant believe after having found out that steroids are legal to possess and virtually legal to import in small amounts that its not easier to find a source though.

[weightshead]

i found out that its illegal to use the UK post office to transport medicines without clearly stating the contents and the fact that it is an emergency.

[weightshead]

just a quick update.

someone asked a very similar question on google-answers and got a really good response. its worth reading as it links many good articles together for UK folks regarding anabolics - mostly good news,

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=353524