The allegation by Drew McMaster follows a Sunday Times investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs among elite athletes
The Commonwealth gold medallist, who has admitted taking steroids, made the claims on BBC Radio Scotland.
He said "at least four" rugby players and two Edinburgh footballers took drugs.
He told interviewer John Beattie that the former Scotland rugby international would have known four drug users from his playing days.
Explaining why athletes turn to drugs, Mr McMaster added: "You're single-minded to do everything you can to better yourself within that sport.
"The higher you go up that tree, the more competitive it gets.
"When you're competing at a Commonwealth or world stage... to reach that level and maintain that level you will do anything that you can to basically win.
"That is your state of mind as you come up the ranks because you start off from a certain level and as you go through the various levels to achieve and be successful, you get hungrier and hungrier and hungrier to be successful.
"Therefore the temptation that's put in your way as it were, and you find that it's all around you... over a period of time you do get drawn in."
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He said that he believes very little has changed in sport since the 1980s.
"The only thing that's changed in a large way is the amount of money that's now involved," he added.
"People are prepared to take big risks where there's big money."
Mr McMaster won Commonwealth gold in the 4 x 100m relay alongside Allan Wells as part of the famous flying Scotsman quartet.
Last year he claimed he had secretly recorded conversations with Jimmy Ledingham, the Great Britain team doctor and an Edinburgh GP, who had apparently admitted supplying Wells with steroids.
Allan Wells has strenuously denied the allegations.
In a statement from his lawyer when the claims were made, he said: "It is denied that any drugs were provided by Dr Jimmy Ledingham.
"It is not true our client had used any banned performance drugsâ€¦ at anyâ€¦ time in his athletics career."
He has previously criticised his former colleague, saying: "The truth is, McMaster turned to steroids because I started beating him - and I was not using drugs."
Earlier this year BBC Sport revealed that only eight drugs tests were conducted in Scottish football over a nine-month period between April and December 2015. There were 1,583 tests in English football over the same period.

The 24-year-old full-back has signed a two-year deal, having turned down the offer of a new deal with the Pilgrims.
"The last couple of years at Boston I've always wanted to make the step up," said Mills.
"I'll be jumping two steps, but I'm sure I will pick it up quite quickly."
Mills' arrival follows the signing of fellow full-back Danny Andrew from League One side Fleetwood Town.
A former athlete has claimed he knew of Scottish rugby players and footballers who doped in the 1980s.
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Promoted Grimsby Town have made their second signing since returning to the Football League by bringing in defender Zak Mills from National League North neighbours Boston United.