Recent investigations conducted by the Tulsa Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration led to the arrest of seven men from different counties and cities all over Oklahoma.

According to Mark Woodward, spokesperson of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, investigations were prompted by several tips about steroids use, manufacture and distribution, which began in January 2007.

The seven men arrested faces possible charges for steroid importation, production and drug prescription.

Of the seven, two were practicing doctors. One practices family and sports medicine at the Gilrease Medical Center. According to reports, Dr. Gary Lee, 48, prescribed “off label” order of steroids for bodybuilding use. However, Dr. Lee claimed that the prescription was for treatment of sports-related injuries.

Dr. Brad Stahlheber, 34, was a former resident at Oklahoma State University Medical Center. His temporary credentials as an anesthesiologist at Muskogee Community Hospital were revoked following his arrest. Stahlheber previously worked at St. Francis Hospital from June 2008 to February 2009.

Woodward said that more arrest would follow as their investigations further progress.

Others who were arrested include Tome Burke, Derek Davis and Christopher Jackson, all from Tulsa, Sherry Smith who was from Oklahoma City and Chris Waid from Bixby.

From Tulsa World:

After a long-term investigation of an illegal steroid ring, authorities arrested at least seven people, including two Tulsa doctors, officials announced Friday.

When it comes to a sporting event as lucrative and complete reflection of manhood, it is not a surprise to hear talks and news about the ongoing relationship between drugs, sex, and bodybuilding.

In the past, there have been incidents when these things have been reported together. What is amusing is the fact that this growing relationship has not subdued but grown over a considerable period of time, especially during the last few years.

From SteroidTimes.Com:

Testosterone is likely to be the most commonly used, well recognized drug that earns an “A+” in both athletics and sexual performance.  It’s muscle building and athletic enhancing properties are undeniable and have been commonplace in sports and Hormone Replacement Therapy clinics for decades.  Testosterone is directly responsible for increases in libido and penile erection frequency and easily earns a reputation as the Gold Standard for anyone wanting to thoroughly maximize their potential.

Next on our list are prescription vasodialators such as Viagara, Cialis and Levitra.  Just as the name implies, these drugs cause the arterial blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow in the body, particularly in tissues with higher metabolic needs, such as working muscles during a workout.  The decrease in blood pressure caused by this group of drugs also helps to maximize cardiovascular output.   During a workout, the user can expect to have a better “pump”  causing more blood, oxygen,  and nutrients to flow to working muscles and in return, allowing the muscles to work harder and recover faster. In the bedroom, vasodialators cause increased blood flow to the penis, which, as the commercials warn, could go so far as to require you to “call your doctor if you experience an erection lasting more than 4 hours”. I doubt anyone will argue that prescription vasodialators earn an “A-” in the bedroom and a “C” in the gym or on the field.

One thing that was easy to identify was the fact that with drugs and bodybuilding joining hands, sex was not too far to join the “league”. After all, all three of them are often interrelated, in a way or two.

Researchers have claimed that they have been able to find out the reason behind relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its effect on bones, according to published study in an edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The findings of this study have already guided attempts to design new drugs to reverse RA-related bone loss and provide a new ability to address more common forms of osteoporosis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is believed to affect more than two million Americans and can cause severe health risks such as pain and deformity in joints, swelling, and thinning of bone.

From News-Medical.Net:

While the new drugs are effective for many patients, others experience infections and even lymphoma in a few cases. The new drugs are based on bioengineered versions of proteins made by human immune cells called antibodies, and are very expensive to make. Thus, the field has been searching for smaller, simpler chemicals that would be effective, but with lower costs and fewer side effects.

“The significance of our study is that it identifies SMURF1 as the signaling partner through which TNF does damage in RA-related bone loss,” said Lianping Xing, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “That has enabled researchers to begin designing small molecule drugs to shut down the action of Smurf 1 and its relatives. Furthermore, since mice engineered to have less Smurf1 expression develop thicker bones, future drugs that shut down Smurf1 may be also useful against more common forms of osteoporosis simply by changing the dose. Of course, this is early-stage work with many obstacles ahead, but it is exciting nonetheless.”

It was brought forward during the study that while traditional RA drugs like NSAIDs and steroids can be termed as effective for controlling symptoms, a newer class of drugs (e.g. Humira, Remicade and Enbrel) is efficacious for reversing the RA process by inhibiting TNF alpha activity.

Along with Xing, the study was led by Ruolin Guo, Motozo Yamashita, Laura Yanoso, Lan Zhao, Qian Zhang, Quan Zhou, Di Chen, David G. Reynolds, Hani Awad, Edward Schwarz, Ying Zhang and Brendan Boyce within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicineat University of Rochester.

Members of the general public and doping officials are raising their deep concerns over the growing demand and popularity of steroids. The concerns are more since the government has already said that it has tried its level best to enforce tight control on the manufacture and distribution of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. However, the truth is that steroid usage has increased and not decreased in the last few years.

The biggest reason for increasing demand of steroids is celebrity driven image culture.

The fact that news about sportsmen and other celebrities using anabolic steroids to maintain their “invincible edge” is influencing their followers to follow the same short route to success is a matter of great concern. With big names such as Sylvester Stallone remarking that he is an old man jumping around trying to look young and getting busted with 48 vials of human growth hormone Jintropin at the Sydney Airport, things cannot be expected to slow down for the better.

From Timesunion.com:

The names of R&B music star Mary J. Blige, along with rap artists 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean, and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry, have emerged in an Albany-based investigation of steroids trafficking that has already rocked the professional sports world, according to confidential sources.

Information has surfaced recently showing those stars are among tens of thousands of people who may have used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human growth hormone in recent years. Law enforcement officials have said they have no evidence in their sprawling multistate probe that customers, including Blige or other entertainers, violated any laws. Instead, they are targeting anti-aging clinics, doctors and pharmacists who prescribed the drugs.

Still, medical experts say that use of steroids and human growth hormone — an estimated $10 billion-a-year operation worldwide — reaching into the entertainment industry illustrates how pervasive steroids use in the United States has become. It is not unique to athletics, where performance-enhancing drug use has marred many sports. For many celebrities, the lure of hormonal drugs is their supposed, unproven anti-aging effects.

It is widely regarded now that the dirt created from use of steroids will not be cleared unless and until stringent measures to inhibit use of steroids are formulated and deployed. Till that happens, things such as distribution of anabolic steroids will continue despite all odds.

Jason Duncan Deason, a former Canby police officer faces eight charges of official misconduct and one charge for unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

The criminal charges resulted to a yearlong investigation conducted by FBI.

Deason is accused of purchasing steroids while on duty and while in uniform from a businessman named William Traverso. He even used his police motorcycle to travel from Canby to Jackson in Oregon City to buy anabolic steroids.

Traverso, according to FBI, was a former bodybuilder whose family owns the Canby Landscape Supply. Upon investigation, he admitted to selling anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to Deason. He also presented an order for steroids written by Deason on a piece of Canby police stationery, dated April 30, 2002.

Aside from Traverso, a second alleged supplier was charged with manufacture and delivery of controlled substances. Brian Jackson was a former strength and conditioning coach for the Oregon City High School girl’s basketball team.

Since the state prosecutors and the defendant could not agree into a plea bargain, a Clackamas County Circuit judge scheduled a trial on November 10, 2009 for his charges.

He is also restricted fro going out of the country pending trial. However, he was allowed to go to California and Washington for several job interviews.

From Oregon Local News:

Unable to agree to a plea deal, former Canby cop Jason Duncan Deason is set to go to trial in November on official misconduct and drug charges.

A Clackamas County Circuit judge this afternoon set Nov. 10 as his trial date.

According to one of the Williamses’ lawyers, Peter Ginsberg, NFL has no choice but to follow a Minnesota court ruling that enjoined NFL from suspending Kevin and Pat Williams from playing.

This means that the two NFL players will be able to play in the season-opener this weekend to be held at Cleveland.

The two players were previously accused by NFL to violate their anti-drug policy. They acknowledged taking an over-the-counter weight loss supplement secretly containing bumetanide, a kind of prescription diuretic. The supplement was known to be Star Caps. The diuretic substance is banned by the NFL since it can mask the presence of steroids. However, neither player is accused of taking steroids.

Last May, a federal judge’s ruling was challenged by the NFL, the players and the NFL players’ association.  It dismissed some of the players’ claims against the league, but allowed some to go forward in the state court of Minnesota.

The resolution of these proceedings is currently in the hands of the eighth US Circuit Court of Appeals. While the decision is still pending, injunction against the suspensions remains in place. Proceedings are also on hold in the Hennepin County District Court.

From the Associated Press:

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams will be able to play in the season-opener at Cleveland this weekend, regardless of what happens with their court case against the NFL.

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration have been involved in several cases of illegal drug importation, misbranding of dug products and mislabeling of dietary supplements.

The agency has been working hard to protect public health by ensuring a tougher enforcement of its policies and regulations.

According to US Food and Drug Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, the agency must be strategic, vigilant, quick and visible, especially in these times where illegal drug activity seems to be rising fast.

Several investigations conducted by the agency involved a man from Lyn, Massachusetts, who was sentenced to a three-year imprisonment plus three years of supervised release for illegal importation and distribution of bodybuilding substances without a prescription.

Christopher Chase was indicted on July 27, 2009 for selling anabolic steroids, HGH and IGF-1 as bodybuilding substances. Chase and his team sold the substances through various websites without a prescription. The drugs were found to be smuggled from China. He was also charged with money laundering and conspiracy, along with two other co-defendants.

Included among the agency’s six point action plan were setting post inspection deadlines, speeding the Warning Letter process and working more closely with FDA’s regulatory partners in an effort to protect the consumers.

According to PharmTech Talk:

Last month, US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced the agency’s six-point plan for tougher enforcement of its policies and regulations as means of protecting public health. The plan, which includes actions like setting postinspection deadlines, speeding the Warning Letter process, and working more closely with FDA’s regulatory partners, was designed to “to prevent harm to the American people,” as Hamburg said in an FDA release.