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I came across this as I was researching some stuff on Lexis-Nexis. Sometimes, I feel like a big nerd... a really big big nerd. 
C-ditty
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New York Law Journal, January 14, 2003, Tuesday
HEADLINE: Studying Steroid Laws
Defender Takes Critical Approach to Criminalizing Use
BYLINE: By Leigh Jones
BODY:
If you think all competitive body builders are thick-browed, hyper-buff muscle heads, Richard D. Collins could prove you wrong.
This Phi Beta Kappa strongman who graduated from Hofstra University School of Law on a full scholarship has built up a highly specialized niche practice that combines his powers of persuasion with his devotion to dumbbells.
With about 70 percent of his legal work focusing on defendants charged with violating anti-steroid laws, Mr. Collins is a former competitive body builder who said he has served as defense counsel, as a consultant or as an expert witness in nearly 1,000 such cases.
His office at Collins McDonald & Gann in Carle Place is decorated with law review plaques, the president's award from the Nassau County Bar Association, a special recognition from his days as a prosecutor with the Nassau County District Attorney's Office and a framed photograph of him with, who else? Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Receiving an award for "Best Arms" in one competition during undergraduate school and garnering another for "Best Back," Mr. Collins said he has a variety of body building trophies "collecting dust" in his attic. These days, he works out four days a week in two-hour stints.
"I've managed to integrate two distinct interests into one practice," said the Mineola native, who is also an adjunct trial techniques professor at Hofstra.
He recognizes that current drug laws keep business humming at his criminal defense firm, but Mr. Collins also asserts that those laws - which classify steroids as controlled substances - are a hyperbolic reaction to sensationalism. He includes his views in his recently published book, "Legal Muscle," which canvasses the history of anabolic steroids and their current laws.
Since 1990 when Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act [ASCA], steroids have joined the ranks of cocaine, heroine and marijuana as controlled substances. By the addition of steroids to the Controlled Substances Act at 21 USC §802, possession of anabolic steroids for nonmedical use became punishable by up to one year in prison. Possession with intent to distribute was made punishable by up to five years, and possession with intent to distribute to those under 21 became punishable by up to 10 years on the first offense and 30 years for subsequent offenses.
But it is the advent of the Internet that Mr. Collins credits with increasing his practice. He said that the number of steroid prosecutions ballooned when mainstream Americans, interested in their cosmetic effects, started buying the products online from foreign manufacturers.
He added that after Sept. 11, 2001, when law enforcement scrutiny of incoming foreign parcels increased, so, too, did his practice.
"He's the pre-eminent authority on steroids," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Baker, who is working opposite Mr. Collins on a criminal case in the Eastern District. "He's a formidable opponent, but he's easy to work with."
Anabolic steroids, derived from the male hormone, testosterone, promote muscle growth and increase lean body mass. Although they have many approved medical purposes, cosmetic use is illegal and physicians are prohibited from prescribing them for such use.
Mr. Collins argues that media exaggeration and what he calls an "anti-doping" lobby have distorted the negative effects of steroids.
The result, he maintains, is the unfair criminal prosecution of citizens, most of whom are guilty of no more than simply wanting to look better.
"Is a woman who gets breast implants a criminal?" he asked.
Refuting the anti-steroid contingent appears not an easy task, however. Generated by concern about teen use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] issued a revised report two years ago, which found that anabolic steroid use had increased among Americans, and, most significantly, indicated a decline - from 68 percent to 62 percent - of high school students who believed steroid use created a "great risk" to one's health.
Then-NIDA Director Alan Leshner in the Research Report Series: Anabolic Steroid Abuse, highlighted the health risks associated with the drugs.
"The abuse of oral or injectable steroids is associated with higher risks for heart attacks and strokes ... and with increased risk for liver problems," Mr. Leshner wrote, adding that steroid abuse has resulted in breast development and genital shrinking in men, masculinization of the body in women, and acne and hair loss in both sexes.
But perhaps the most publicized possible side effect is the reported link between anabolic steroid use and aggressive behavior. Even though the NIDA report states that the extent to which steroid abuse contributes to violence and behavioral disorders is "unknown," numerous accounts of "Roid Rage" appeared in the news during the 1990s.
Mr. Collins concedes some correlation between aggressive behavior and steroid use, a concern that partially fueled the passing of the ASCA. He asserts that the link was greatly embellished after the use of steroids came to light during the 1988 Olympics.
It was at the Seoul games that American Ben Johnson ran 100 meters in a record-setting 9.79 seconds and became the fastest human ever. But the applause quickly was silenced after he flunked a drug test, which showed steroid use, a practice banned by the International Olympic Committee in 1975.
What followed, Mr. Collins argues, was an anti-steroid campaign launched by the "organized sports establishment" whose "spoon-fed alarmist statements" were gobbled up by the media, as he writes in his book.
Mr. Collins is in favor of prohibiting minors from using steroids and believes the drugs should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor. But he asserts that adults who want to use them for their cosmetic benefits should be able to do so.
"In cosmetic applications, they can make a person leaner and more muscular, which in today's society is quite an attractive option," he said.
Regardless of Mr. Collins' personal views, current steroid laws keep him busy. He has represented defendants from California to Texas, from Maryland to here on Long Island.
Although his general criminal defense practice and teaching comprise a good deal of his workday, Mr. Collins said that he spends much of his time on the phone consulting with attorneys from across the country who are defending clients caught with steroids. A lack of consistency in the prosecution of steroid crimes is a common thread he sees among the cases.
"There appears to be no rhyme or reason other than the whims of customs personnel or the whims of prosecutorial agencies," he said.
A related area of law also promises to bring business Mr. Collins' way. Congress right now is mulling a bill that would classify as controlled substances so-called pro-hormone nutritional supplements, such as androstenedione.
Distinct from anabolic steroids, pro-hormone products also have raised concerns due to their use by teens, particularly male athletes. Mr. Collins now champions a fledgling coalition of domestic manufacturers opposing the proposed law.
That work, too, represents a melding of interests for Mr. Collins.
"I know so many attorneys who don't like what they do," he said. "I really like what I do."
C-ditty
=============================================
New York Law Journal, January 14, 2003, Tuesday
HEADLINE: Studying Steroid Laws
Defender Takes Critical Approach to Criminalizing Use
BYLINE: By Leigh Jones
BODY:
If you think all competitive body builders are thick-browed, hyper-buff muscle heads, Richard D. Collins could prove you wrong.
This Phi Beta Kappa strongman who graduated from Hofstra University School of Law on a full scholarship has built up a highly specialized niche practice that combines his powers of persuasion with his devotion to dumbbells.
With about 70 percent of his legal work focusing on defendants charged with violating anti-steroid laws, Mr. Collins is a former competitive body builder who said he has served as defense counsel, as a consultant or as an expert witness in nearly 1,000 such cases.
His office at Collins McDonald & Gann in Carle Place is decorated with law review plaques, the president's award from the Nassau County Bar Association, a special recognition from his days as a prosecutor with the Nassau County District Attorney's Office and a framed photograph of him with, who else? Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Receiving an award for "Best Arms" in one competition during undergraduate school and garnering another for "Best Back," Mr. Collins said he has a variety of body building trophies "collecting dust" in his attic. These days, he works out four days a week in two-hour stints.
"I've managed to integrate two distinct interests into one practice," said the Mineola native, who is also an adjunct trial techniques professor at Hofstra.
He recognizes that current drug laws keep business humming at his criminal defense firm, but Mr. Collins also asserts that those laws - which classify steroids as controlled substances - are a hyperbolic reaction to sensationalism. He includes his views in his recently published book, "Legal Muscle," which canvasses the history of anabolic steroids and their current laws.
Since 1990 when Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act [ASCA], steroids have joined the ranks of cocaine, heroine and marijuana as controlled substances. By the addition of steroids to the Controlled Substances Act at 21 USC §802, possession of anabolic steroids for nonmedical use became punishable by up to one year in prison. Possession with intent to distribute was made punishable by up to five years, and possession with intent to distribute to those under 21 became punishable by up to 10 years on the first offense and 30 years for subsequent offenses.
But it is the advent of the Internet that Mr. Collins credits with increasing his practice. He said that the number of steroid prosecutions ballooned when mainstream Americans, interested in their cosmetic effects, started buying the products online from foreign manufacturers.
He added that after Sept. 11, 2001, when law enforcement scrutiny of incoming foreign parcels increased, so, too, did his practice.
"He's the pre-eminent authority on steroids," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Baker, who is working opposite Mr. Collins on a criminal case in the Eastern District. "He's a formidable opponent, but he's easy to work with."
Anabolic steroids, derived from the male hormone, testosterone, promote muscle growth and increase lean body mass. Although they have many approved medical purposes, cosmetic use is illegal and physicians are prohibited from prescribing them for such use.
Mr. Collins argues that media exaggeration and what he calls an "anti-doping" lobby have distorted the negative effects of steroids.
The result, he maintains, is the unfair criminal prosecution of citizens, most of whom are guilty of no more than simply wanting to look better.
"Is a woman who gets breast implants a criminal?" he asked.
Refuting the anti-steroid contingent appears not an easy task, however. Generated by concern about teen use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] issued a revised report two years ago, which found that anabolic steroid use had increased among Americans, and, most significantly, indicated a decline - from 68 percent to 62 percent - of high school students who believed steroid use created a "great risk" to one's health.
Then-NIDA Director Alan Leshner in the Research Report Series: Anabolic Steroid Abuse, highlighted the health risks associated with the drugs.
"The abuse of oral or injectable steroids is associated with higher risks for heart attacks and strokes ... and with increased risk for liver problems," Mr. Leshner wrote, adding that steroid abuse has resulted in breast development and genital shrinking in men, masculinization of the body in women, and acne and hair loss in both sexes.
But perhaps the most publicized possible side effect is the reported link between anabolic steroid use and aggressive behavior. Even though the NIDA report states that the extent to which steroid abuse contributes to violence and behavioral disorders is "unknown," numerous accounts of "Roid Rage" appeared in the news during the 1990s.
Mr. Collins concedes some correlation between aggressive behavior and steroid use, a concern that partially fueled the passing of the ASCA. He asserts that the link was greatly embellished after the use of steroids came to light during the 1988 Olympics.
It was at the Seoul games that American Ben Johnson ran 100 meters in a record-setting 9.79 seconds and became the fastest human ever. But the applause quickly was silenced after he flunked a drug test, which showed steroid use, a practice banned by the International Olympic Committee in 1975.
What followed, Mr. Collins argues, was an anti-steroid campaign launched by the "organized sports establishment" whose "spoon-fed alarmist statements" were gobbled up by the media, as he writes in his book.
Mr. Collins is in favor of prohibiting minors from using steroids and believes the drugs should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor. But he asserts that adults who want to use them for their cosmetic benefits should be able to do so.
"In cosmetic applications, they can make a person leaner and more muscular, which in today's society is quite an attractive option," he said.
Regardless of Mr. Collins' personal views, current steroid laws keep him busy. He has represented defendants from California to Texas, from Maryland to here on Long Island.
Although his general criminal defense practice and teaching comprise a good deal of his workday, Mr. Collins said that he spends much of his time on the phone consulting with attorneys from across the country who are defending clients caught with steroids. A lack of consistency in the prosecution of steroid crimes is a common thread he sees among the cases.
"There appears to be no rhyme or reason other than the whims of customs personnel or the whims of prosecutorial agencies," he said.
A related area of law also promises to bring business Mr. Collins' way. Congress right now is mulling a bill that would classify as controlled substances so-called pro-hormone nutritional supplements, such as androstenedione.
Distinct from anabolic steroids, pro-hormone products also have raised concerns due to their use by teens, particularly male athletes. Mr. Collins now champions a fledgling coalition of domestic manufacturers opposing the proposed law.
That work, too, represents a melding of interests for Mr. Collins.
"I know so many attorneys who don't like what they do," he said. "I really like what I do."
