i see what you're saying, and don't necessarily disagree with any of it. my thing is just the opposite, though... i feel like steroid users are always trying to downplay the negative effects they have on your health by acting like anyone who thinks they're bad for you are "stupid" and "uneducated sheep". i mean, how many people use steroids to simply "catch up" with regard to genetics? not many. how many use very small amounts and only a couple of times a year? not many.
ok, so running low-dose test may not be all that bad if you know what you're doing, but most people (at least that i've known in my extensive time working out) don't do that. most people are taking hardcore stuff, and usually stacking it. i just think it's bs to say that "steroids aren't as bad as people make them out to be" while weighing like 290 and running all kinds of ridiculous stuff. then, when a high-profile person has heart issues, liver issues, or dies, it's always some "underlying condition". what's worse is when i see these kids with the mindset that steroids aren't bad and it's all some big conspiracy and they're on all sorts of stuff. the bottom-line is that they often will cause an increase in red blood cells/thickening of the blood, they will screw up your lipids, and they will tax your heart (at the doses in which 90% of people use them), but the argument is that "that's only when you're on cycle", but half these people are ALWAYS on. i've seen guys who have cycled for 2.5 years straight. there's just a fine line between use and abuse, and while most people argue that use is okay and abuse isn't, most of those people are abusing them (ie, ultimate warrior who recently died of a heart attack).
i've just seen so many people who have made absurd gains without their training being on point and without their diet being anywhere NEAR on point by using steroids. then these same people rant about how it's all dedication and anyone can do it with proper diet and exercise, and walk around with their chests puffed out at the gym looking down on anyone that isn't as big or strong as they are (despite the fact if it weren't for gear, they'd be even smaller than the guys they're looking down on and using stupid lines like, "you even lift bro?"). it's like these "trainers" you see on instagram, one of whom i know personally, who post before and after pictures of their clients who have gained like 30 lbs in 2 months and gotten shredded off "diet, exercise, and determination", when really, they just sell them steroids. i'm not saying they ALL do this, but i personally know some of those guys and that's what they all do.
with regard to leveling the playing field, i get what you're saying, but some of us just don't want to take steroids. of course i'd like to be 260 and shredded, but i don't want it bad enough to abuse (i say abuse, because "use" wouldn't be enough to attain that) steroids. i just wish steroids didn't exist, haha. i mean, having bad genetics sucks, but what sucks even worse is seeing people who aren't putting in the same amount of work and getting three times the results because of drugs, then saying things like, "anyone can achieve this, it just takes dedication"..... yeah.... dedication and lots of steroids.... and don't even get me started on prohormones haha.