Anabolic steroids, under the federal law of the United States, are classified as Schedule III drugs of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as of February 27, 1991. The CSA has been enacted into law by the United States Congress as part of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and control Act of 1970. This federal legislation serves as the US regulatory policy relating to manufacture, importation, possession, and distribution of certain drugs including anabolic steroids.
    
CSA has five classifications (Schedule I-V) and anabolic steroids, as mentioned above, fall under Schedule III. According to federal law, prescriptions of Schedule III drugs, such as anabolic steroids, can be refilled for up to five times within a six-month period.

Under the CSA, a person has to have a valid prescription in order to obtain anabolic steroids. Possession or sale of anabolic steroids without prescription is considered an illegal act. Simple possession of illegally acquired anabolic steroids entails a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment and a minimum fine of $1000 in the case of first-time offenders. Trafficking of anabolic steroids carries stiffer penalties as federal law calls for a maximum imprisonment for five years and a $250,000 fine for first-time offenders. The maximum length of imprisonment and the maximum monetary fine is doubled if it is a second drug offense.