saying that "thousands" or "millions" of kids are affected by steroids is innumerate at best and a lie at worst

There are c. 16.3M kids in grades 9-12 right now. I agree that "millions" is a ludicrous figure, but don't you think tens of thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands are using steroids illegally? When I was in high school in the 80s, there were kids doing them then. Plenty. Easy to find. Don't you think that's still the case, if not worse?

Here's a trick I use in presentations -- you're a smart guy/girl. Here's $100. Go find steroids in the next 24 hours. How many of you would even know where to start?

The $100 trick you use is indeed a trick: it is mildly ludicrous and there is probably a type of fallacy named after it. You can name lots of things in such a way that many people wouldn't know where to look, but that doesn't mean they don't exist! ("Go find LSD" or "cheese made from raw milk" or "marlin jerky".) Besides, you don't think an Internet search could find someone steroids to buy?

Me? I'd find a high school kid and give him the money. I guarn-frickin'-tee you that would get results (esp. if I told him he could keep $90 of it and just bring me back $10 worth).

I don't buy those numbers AT ALL. In talks I've given, I've never found one student who could identify steroids, but have seen hundreds who think steroids are at GNC.

I had a lot of friends in high school who did dianabol. One friend even sold them.

You don't even believe the 1.6% figure? How is that so hard to believe? I had 1400 people in my high school, and that works out to 22 people taking steroids. That isn't hard to believe at all. I could call up a buddy now and he could probably name that many off the top of his head. The JV and varsity football teams alone...

So what percentage would you guess, then?

"You want a toe? I can get you a toe. Believe me. There are ways. You don't want to know, Dude. I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock. With nail polish."

If you know the right kids or hang with the right crowds, you can get anything. I could have done so 20 years ago, with ease. I have no reason to believe the black market has shrunk in the meantime. It is ridiculous on its face.

What is your basis for refuting this or any other study, and give us a detailed analysis of why the research methodologies are faulty, etc. Until then, you all full of xit.

And if you're not full of xit, then how about calling these guys out in their arena, not yours? http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/invest.html

Nutritional Supplementation and Anabolic Steroid Use in Adolescents
HOFFMAN, JAY R. 1; FAIGENBAUM, AVERY D. 1; RATAMESS, NICHOLAS A. 1; ROSS, RYAN 1; KANG, JIE 1; TENENBAUM, GERSHON 2
Medicine and science in sports and exercise.
January 2008, 40:1. The American College of Sports Medicine.

Marlin jerky is awesome if extremely rare.

FWIW, my HS had ~1000 students and to the best of my knowledge no steroid use. I played baseball and had many friends on the football team and they'll tell you that they didn't know anyone who used (of course we were 3-8 or something). Additionally, items like LSD, shrooms and hash were all pretty easy to come by. Of course I'm getting kind of old and maybe HS was too long ago.

I agree that the issue is overblown, but 1.6% is hardly a number to start St. Vitus dancing over, in wild gesticulations and baseless accusations...

Steroids are just as easily available as marijuana (though in less demand), and high school kids can find marijuana pretty readily.

I know 4 people off the top of my head that are current or former juicers. For $100, I could have Winstrol at your front door in 10 minutes.

Seriously, man, it's bullxit like this that make Buzz sound like a genius.

Show the proof. Until then, just show some sack by admitting you're wrong. I can't believe you're sticking with your story.

Here is my hypothesis for most users high school and younger. They are white suburban kids with a lot of discretionary income. I would also guess that many of this kids have a parent or coach who is knowing of their usage because they are trying to achieve in sports. To have success with steroids, you have to kind of know what you are doing. To get drunk or stoned, not so much.

The Hooton method crusade looks to be another program doomed to failure like the Just Say No campaign or the Abstinence pledges that have shown to be massive wastes of funding. Reefer madness campaigns are never the solution.