Brisbane is home to a world-first steroid-testing service aimed at reducing harm among those using the performance enhancing drug.
The confidential service is a collaboration between Griffith University, the Queensland Injectors Health Network (QuIHN), Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy and Action (QuIVAA) and The Loop Australia.
Dr Tim Piatkowski, from Griffith University, said information was the key to minimising unintended consequences and the service aimed to empower people to make more informed decisions.
Dr Piatkowski said users of performance and image enhancing drugs (IPEDs) were encouraged to drop off used vials at collections points, with samples then tested for purity or contaminants and to confirm if the substances were what they were expected to be.
“Research has shown the legality of a substance rarely factors into consumer desire when it comes to attaining outcomes or goals,” he said.
“Young men in particular often feel pressured to achieve a muscular physique due to social media influencers or popular culture, with many experiencing distress if their own bodies don’t look that way even after extreme exercise, dieting and use of readily available supplements.
“This unrealistic expectation and inner conflict can often lead to risky behaviours like using IPEDs.”
Dr Piatkowski said steroid use was illegal in Australia, with penalties for possession including various terms of imprisonment.
He said Queensland had the harshest penalties in the country, following changes to the law in 2014 to target trafficking by outlaw motorcycle gangs.
“This high level of criminalisation had pushed users further underground and away from medical care. People are scared to ask for help because of the law,” he said.
“In an unregulated market, you never really know what you’re getting.”
Samples can be dropped off at the Bowen Hills CheQpoint site on Fridays between 12:30pm and 6pm, with the trial initially set to run for one year.
