Newstalk ZB
Drug-checking services are seeing a “massive” increase in the number of people seeking advice about injecting steroids, peptides and weight-loss drugs as a new “grey market” grows in New Zealand. New Zealand Drug Foundation principal science adviser Emily Hughes said, over the past 18 months, they had seen a surge in inquiries about these substances, but because people accessed their service anonymously it was impossible to give exact numbers. She said some of these new types of performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) were termed as falling within a “grey market” of drug use because the products are currently not regulated. A desire for image-enhacing benefits is driving people to order drugs like peptides, human growth hormone and GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs used for weight-loss (such as Ozempic or Wegovy) from online storefronts. New Zealand sporting body bosses earlier this week warned about the growing rise of young athletes and other Kiwi youth using banned performance-enhancing drugs. They include anabolic steroids, peptides and other stimulants. The recent wellness peptide craze is leading people to inject largely unregulated peptides into their bodies for a range of reasons such as perceived anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory properties. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that stimulate growth hormone and can help to build muscle and enhance normal body functions. These substances are easy to access and their availability is growing, as ex-professional bodybuilder Mark told Matt Heath and Tyler Adams on Newstalk ZB this week. “The problem we’re having now and that I’m even having as a trainer in this industry is being approached by teenagers looking to buy steroids because of the social media influence,” he said. “Now all the influencers are not afraid to tell anyone what they’re taking, they are openly admitting that they’re on this or that course of stuff. Then teenagers think, why can’t they be on that as well.” Mark exited bodybuilding after feeling the required use of testosterone and anabolic steroids to take him to the next level in the sport would be too damaging to his health. “I got to a point where I was like there’s no way I’m taking that amount of gear I don’t even like taking the amount I’m having now,” he said. Peptides were being picked up in the gym, Mark said, and bodybuilding community and he was currently injecting a peptide for an injury in his shoulder and seeing great results. “The big new thing in New Zealand is peptides ... they’re [peptides] out there and available but you’ve got to know the right people and have the right contacts.” Hughes said current drug-checking technology was not able to provide comprehensive testing for a lot of new peptide substances, making it difficult to identify exactly what people were taking. “The science hasn’t quite caught up to the demand,” she said. New Zealand Drug Foundation principal science adviser Emily Hughes says people using new types of performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) shouldn't be worried or feel shame about accessing drug harm reduction services. Photo / Sylvie Whinray The lack of regulation surrounding mail-to-order weight-loss drugs or non-anabolic steroids ordered from overseas meant they might not have undergone quality testing, and no doctors would be involved with the care or monitoring of a patient taking these substances. “They’re being sold by online retailers that say they are lab certified but there’s no actual quality control like with an actual medicine that’s prescribed by your doctor,” she says. “A big concern is not just that they could be the wrong peptide or the wrong steroid, but also that it could contain moulds or heavy metals or other things that might be dangerous to inject.” Peptides are a new wellness trend that involve injecting the body with short chains of amino acids to support muscle and tissue healing. Many of these drugs are being heavily marketed on social media by influencers...
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