Anabolic Steroids in Italy: the situation 

If you’re on this site, it means you’re interested in some way—directly or indirectly—in the world of anabolic steroids, and if you understand this language, there’s a good chance you live in Italy and speak Italian 🙂 

In this article, we will discuss the situation in Italy regarding anabolic steroids from a legal and sporting perspective.

In fact, there are two different points of view, one concerning sports justice and one concerning ordinary criminal justice.

From this point on, let's consider all anabolic steroids in the same way, grouping them into a single category: performance-enhancing drugs. In reality, not all steroids are considered the same, but to make this article easier to understand, we will treat them all equally.

Possession of doping substances is not, in theory, punishable by law. Many substances, such as TESTOSTERONE ENANTHATE or DECA DURABOLIN, are medicines that can be prescribed by endocrinologists and are therefore perfectly legal with a doctor's prescription. The law therefore does not punish the possession of such substances, but only up to a certain point, up to a certain quantity. Above a certain quantity, it is considered a quantity for sale, and at this point, the classic legal procedures take over. 

But what is this level?

In fact, it is not specified and remains at the discretion of the authorities or the judge, if any.

If I, as an individual, take these substances (which I possess) legally, it is not prohibited (as already mentioned, they may also be prescription drugs or active ingredients present in other types of drugs not always necessarily intended to improve physical performance). The problem arises at the level of sports justice, which obviously prohibits the use of doping substances or the disclosure of unauthorized drugs for the purpose of improving athletic performance.

At this point, a crossover between Italian law and sports regulations must be found in order to assess, and possibly punish, the inappropriate use of doping substances, their intake in competitive sports, and their sale.

The meeting point can be found in Anti-Doping Law 376/2000 entitled "Regulation of health protection in sports activities in the fight against doping."

This law emphasizes that anabolic steroids (ONLINE and NON-ONLINESTEROIDS ) fall squarely within the category of doping substances.

This law punishes those who procure, administer, and use doping with penalties ranging from 3 months to 3 years and fines from €2,500 to €50,000.

In summary: Possession of steroids, up to a certain amount, is not illegal; possession beyond that amount may be considered possession with intent to distribute and is therefore subject to legal action. In competitive sports, the use, administration, and illegal sale of steroids are prohibited, with penalties that may extend to the criminal justice system and not just to the sports realm.