By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, December 12, 1991
The Record (New Jersey) | 5 Star | NEWS | Page B02
In June, the state reclassified anabolic steroids as a Class 3 Controlled Dangerous Substance. The change placed anabolic steroids, a muscle-enhancer said to be making inroads among youths, under the umbrella of the state’s drug-free school zone law. Anyone caught distributing drugs near a school is subject to a mandatory prison sentence.
Educators and law enforcement officials in Bergen County gathered Wednesday to hear state and local representatives outline recent changes in drug laws and urge greater vigilance in identifying drug abuse.
Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy, who sponsored the conference with the Bergen County superintendent of schools, emphasized cooperation between educators and law enforcement agencies.
The conference, which drew 250 to the Sheraton Heights hotel, is the second of its kind in Bergen County, and is an outgrowth of the New Jersey Statewide Narcotics Action Plan, developed in 1987 to enforce state narcotics laws on school properties.
New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Ron Susswein discussed recent changes in drug laws. In June 1991, for instance, the state reclassified anabolic steroids as a Class 3 Controlled Dangerous Substance. The change placed anabolic steroids under the umbrella of the state’s drug-free school zone law, Susswein said. Anyone caught distributing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school is subject to a mandatory prison sentence.
Thomas Bellavia, a Hasbrouck Heights doctor, said in an interview that anabolic steroids appear to have made inroads among students, including some as young as 15 years old.
Anabolic steroids are often used to increase muscle and body mass for improved athletic performance, he said.
Although steroids have medical applications, the use by teenagers is usually 10 to 40 times the usual medicinal dose, he said. The drug could cause adverse effects on the heart, liver, bones, reproductive organs, and skin, as well as on behavior, including causing severe aggressiveness. Bellavia said parents and educators should look for any sudden increase in body and muscle mass, severe acne, development of breasts, and loss of hair in both males and females.
Fahy said he hoped the conference would become an annual event.
ID: 17363425 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)
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