Dominican Republic not only has hardcore steroids drugs that are easily obtainable. Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic also has human growth hormones or the baseball’s scarlet letter that readily available in the black market, as well as supplement shops and even in island pharmacies and anyone can have them even without prescriptions.

Before the 2005 season, baseball had banned the HGH or human growth hormone but they did not rest players for the substance due to the continuing debate on the reliability of the HGH blood test. Baseball’s present drug testing program utilizes urine samples only and HGH cannot be detected in urine. Many doping experts believe that the use of HGH among athletes, specifically in baseball as dramatically increased as no reliable HGH test has yet been adopted in all sports.

Alex Rodriguez, third baseman of the New York Yankees recently admitted that he has been on steroid use from 2001 until 2003. This news has created a stream of headlines but still the issue on baseball HGH seems ready to take a while longer.

Donald Ferh, Union Chief of the Baseball players’ union, is starting his spring training rounds and has once again tackling the flood of issues and questions about HGH.

Earlier this week at the Met’s complex, when asked about HGH test implementation, Fehr said that he has not yet seen on that’s reliable. He also added hat there had been a number of media stories over the last five or so years since the International Olympic Committee had run an experimental test in Athens. Regularly, there are some people who claim to have that they have one available, but as far as Fehr is concerned, there is none available now.

Dominican Republic has many kinds of performance enhancing steroids sold openly. Just last week, a reporter of the Daily News said that he was able to purchase testosterone enanthate, a syringe as well as oral steroid Dianabol at a pharmacy even without a prescription.

According to Milton Pinedo, president of the Dominican Federation of Sports Medicine and member of the Dominican Olympic Committee, HGH or human growth hormone is legal in the Dominican when there is a prescription.

Pinedo explained to the Daily News last Thursday that by law, a prescription is needed for you to obtain growth hormone in the country. However, a lot of times, it can be obtained even with out a prescription. Pinedo also added that he does not consider HGH use in Dominican as a big problem as steroids use.

The Daily News also contacted several Dominican pharmacies including the big chain Farmax who claimed that they do not sell HGH. A farmax employee said that the hormone can be obtained from a health clinic with a doctor’s prescription and that it is usually prescribed for “extreme medical conditions” like AIDS wasting.

However, two other Dominican sources said that HGH is easily accessible. One can obtain it in bodegas where milk, rice or food are sold or in supplement stores where there are a variety of performance enhancing drugs. One source also claimed that when you walk into any Dominican gym, you can have any drug that you desire.

A 10-cc vial of Primobolan sold by a body builder to a News reporter last week in Dominican, said that a supply of HGH would cost US$571. This is good for five injections; a 10cc vial is only good for two injections and approximately costs US$95. Primobolan is the same steroid that Alex Rodriguez has tested positive for in 2003 and allegedly used from 2001.