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’ll discuss the situation in Italy regarding anabolic steroids, both legally and in sports.

In fact, there are two different perspectives: one regarding sports justice and the other regarding ordinary criminal justice.

From now on, let’s consider all anabolic steroids equally, grouping them under a single category: performance-enhancing drugs. In reality, not all steroids are considered the same, but to make this article easier to understand, let’s simply treat them all as equivalent.

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 is left to the discretion of the authorities or the judge.

If I, as an individual, take these substances (which I have in my possession), it is not legally prohibited (as already mentioned, they may also be prescription drugs or active ingredients found in other types of medications not necessarily intended to enhance physical performance); the problem arises in the context of sports justice, which obviously prohibits the use of doping substances or the distribution of unauthorized medications for the purpose of enhancing 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 (whether purchased online or not) are fully classified as 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.

To summarize: possession of steroids (within a certain quantity) is not illegal; above a certain quantity, it is considered possession for sale and therefore punishable by law. In sports, if you are a competitive athlete, the use, administration, and illegal sale of steroids is prohibited, with penalties that fall under criminal law and not just sports law.