Tip: Does T Nation Endorse Steroids?

Some people think T Nation promotes steroids. I've personally written most of those "steroid promoting" articles, but rather than write an essay, I'll just give you my reasons for being interested in them in list form:

• They're fascinating.
• They're a big part of the lifting culture and if people are going to use them (and they are), they might as well use them in a safe way.
• The formal name of this website is Testosterone Nation, and all anabolic steroids are essentially synthetic versions of testosterone.
• They can be used to increase health and longevity.
• They can be used in certain medical conditions to ameliorate or even cure diseases.
• They could be used by the military to increase the strength and endurance of combat soldiers. (See Soldiers Should Juice Up.)
• Testosterone is inextricably associated with masculinity, which is something I've written about extensively.
• There's a negative stigma about them that, while largely earned by decades of abuse, needs to go away so we can look at them without bias.

But am I (are we) endorsing their use? I don't think so. I can honestly say that if someone asked me if they should use steroids, my response would be to just give them the facts without attempting to influence them in any way.

And if you don't believe that, consider the economic reason we'd avoid "promoting" steroids: With the exception of protein powder, guys who use steroids generally don't buy as many supplements as "clean" lifters, and of course we want people to buy Biotest® supplements.