WASHINGTONDietary supplement industry trade associations commended Congress on introduction of the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act (DASCA) of 2014. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) together released a statement in support of DASCA from Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT).
The DASCA will empower the DEA to quickly respond to newly formulated designer anabolic steroids falsely marketed as dietary supplements. The DASCA builds new and improved guidelines on top of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004, allowing enforcements to eliminate redesigned drugs that are "substantially similar" to already illegal muscle growth drugs.
Disguised designer anabolic steroids present serious health risks to consumers and damage the reputation of dietary supplement companies that provide consumers with legitimate, high-quality and beneficial supplements. These illegal products put athletes at risk of unknowingly testing positive for banned substances.