Steroids Being Sold Illegally Through Facebook
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| BBC |
Steroids are a drug that is often misused though it can, on a rare occasion, be used for actual medical reasons. It's not a drug you can pick up easily over the counter and if you are encouraged to take them by a doctor it'll be by prescription only. But a lot of body builders and other types of athletes use them to give themselves an advantage on the sports field. Steroids are considered a class C drug and though they aren't illegal to actually use, it is illegal to sell and distribute them. They're similar to testosterone and the side effects can include anything from fits of rage and violence or pimples to a clogged up heart or tumours on the liver. These side effects are very serious but some people are willing to risk them to promote muscle growth.
The BBC have recently looked into the sale of steroids on Facebook and were able to join 30 different private groups, all dedicated to buying and selling the drug. Facebook have said they remove any groups that appear to be dealing in illegal activity straight away but these groups seem to be flying under the radar. In a lot of ways the groups appear like any normal business, some of them sell merchandise as well as the drugs and Protasia also has a sponsored athlete with the drug's brand tattooed on the back of her neck. You can assume that if she actually is an athlete then no one knows what her tattoo stands for or she wouldn't be allowed to compete - no matter the sport or event.
The thing is, with social media like Facebook, illegal products are always going to be an issue for as long as they allow people to sell things. Social media is great because it allows you to talk about anything you want and get similar opinions but it also means that a tight knit group of people are less likely to report you if you're doing something bad. Because of this Facebook can't necessarily monitor the people selling illegal items because it'll mostly be through picture and status advertisement and the moment you shut down one group, someone else is going to set up a new account to do the same thing. These people are selling and buying something they might not even know all the ingredients of. One bottle of steroids could be even more of a dangerous cocktail of ingredients than another; it doesn't matter if they've made their own brand to make it seem more legitimate.
Buying steroids from someone on Facebook is both illegal and highly dangerous so if you stumble across any of these private groups then report them.
Rosina Brooker
Rosina is a Songbird rookie with a degree in Creative Writing. She's trying to focus on her novel on the side but is hoping that Content Writing will turn out to be a good career choice in the mean time! Follow her @RosinaAtSMF
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Steroids Being Sold Illegally Through Facebook
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Reviewed by Unknown
on
Monday, February 08, 2016
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Unknown
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