[ghost of nixon]

Steroid use by big league ball players is about as important to me as dust mites

the problem is the health risks to high school & college atheletes who will use this stuff when it provides an big advantage with little downside when pro sports do not ban it. The health problems of Giambi & Ken Caminitti - who died about a year ago at around 42 - should give anyone pause.

[JmyBryan]

Personally, I'm not all that concerned that people do things to destroy themselves. I see it all the time, with both drug users and non-drug users.

People should be encouraged to live intelligently and not do things that are harmful to themselves. But in the end, it is their decision.

As for high school kids - any kids who can afford steroids in high school and buy them without their parents knowledge are unproperly supervised.

College students SHOULD be smart enough to educate themselves regarding safe and unsafe steroid dosages.

You can ban steroids but covert performance enhancement will continue - especially when you consider the riches one can receive.

[Xenalyte]

Caminiti didn't die of steroids. From Wiki:

"Caminiti died unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack in The Bronx at the age of 41; he was pronounced dead on October 10, 2004 at New York's Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Preliminary news reports on October 15, 2004 indicated he died of a drug overdose. Rob Silva, an acquaintance of Caminiti who spent part of the day with him on October 10, told Newsday that Caminiti was edgy and depressed on the day he died, but also said he did not witness Caminiti using drugs on that day. On November 1, the New York City Medical Examiners Office announced that Caminiti died from "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates," but coronary artery disease and cardiac hypertrophy (an enlarged heart) were also contributing factors."