Spain has passed an anti-doping law creating a national anti-doping agency. Italy passed a law in 2000 where penalties range up to three years in prison if an athlete has tested positive for banned substances. In 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law ratification of the International Convention Against Doping in Sport which would encourage cooperation with WADA. Many other countries have similar legislation prohibiting AAS in sports including Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Sweden. Usage
Law enforcement
United States federal law enforcement officials have expressed concern about AAS use by police officers. "Its a big problem, and from the number of cases, its something we shouldnt ignore. Its not that we set out to target cops, but when were in the middle of an active investigation into steroids, there have been quite a few cases that have led back to police officers," says Lawrence Payne, a spokesman for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin stated that "Anabolic steroid abuse by police officers is a serious problem that merits greater awareness by departments across the country". It is also believed that police officers across the United Kingdom "are using criminals to buy steroids" which he claims to be a top risk factor for police corruption. Professional wrestling
Following the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit in 2007, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigated steroid usage in the wrestling industry. The Committee investigated WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now known as Impact Wrestling), asking for documentation of their companies drug policies.
Irlen syndrome, occasionally referred to as scotopic sensitivity syndrome (SSS) or Meares–Irlen syndrome, is a postulated disorder of vision or image-processing in the brain. Irlen syndrome is also sometimes referred to as asfedia or visual stress. Many mainstream professionals are skeptical of the concept. Research on Irlen syndrome has produced mixed results, finding a possible neurological basis for the condition but little or no evidence supporting the most commonly proposed treatment using tinted eyeglasses or overlays to aid reading. History
In 1980, New Zealand teacher Olive Meares described the visual distortions some individuals reported when reading from white paper. In 1983, American psychologist Helen Irlen wrote a paper about the use of coloured overlays aiding the reading abilities of some people. Similar symptoms were separately described by Meares and Irlen, each unaware of the others work. Irlen, who was the first to systematically define the condition, named her findings "scotopic sensitivity", though in the discussions and debates over the following years, some referred to it as Meares-Irlen syndrome. The Irlen Institute, founded by Helen Irlen, describes scotopic sensitivity as "a perceptual processing disorder" related to brain interpretations of colours and light.It remains controversial whether non-Irlen-certified Meares-Irlen syndrome and the original Irlen syndrome are the same condition. Irlen syndrome, for example, seems to include a broader array of symptoms, including severe variants of the core condition.