Ron Paul jokes: ‘I don’t want to use heroin’ so I need drug laws

By Eric W. Dolan - RAW Story
Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who are both libertarian-leaning Republicans, defended drug legalization during the Fox News presidential debate on Thursday night.

When questioned about why social conservatives should support him, Paul said they should vote for him because his defense of liberty includes their right to practice their lifestyle the way they want. The congressman said liberty needed to be protected "across the board."

"We don't have the first amendment so that we can talk about the weather," he noted. "You have a right to do things that are very controversial."

Government should not tell its its citizens what they can eat and drink, the congressman continued. "Up until this past century -- for over one hundred years -- [drugs] were legal."

"How many people here would use heroin if it were legal?" Paul asked. "Oh yeah, I need to government to take care of me, I don't want to use heroin so I need these laws," he joked, followed by a round of applause from the audience.

"I never thought heroin would get an applause here in South Carolina," quipped moderator Chris Wallace.

Johnson, who has admitted to using marijuana, noted that half of the money spent on law enforcement and prison is drug-related. Ninety percent of the problem is prohibition-related, not use related, according to the former governor.

"That's not to discount the problems with use and abuse, but [prohibition] ought to be the focus," he said.

Marijuana should be legalized and harm reduction strategies should be used for other illegal drugs, Johnson added. "Look at the drug problem as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue."

Genes that let you live to 100?

Found: genes that let you live to 100
05-18-2010
Times Online

SCIENTISTS have discovered the “Methuselah” genes whose lucky carriers have a much improved chance of living to 100 even if they indulge in an unhealthy lifestyle.

The genes appear to protect people against the effects of smoking and bad diet and can also delay the onset of age-related illnesses such as cancer and heart disease by up to three decades.

No single gene is a guaranteed fountain of youth. Instead, the secret of longevity probably lies in having the right “suite” of genes, according to new studies of centenarians and their families. Such combinations are extremely rare — only one person in 10,000 reaches the age of 100.

The genes found so far each appear to give a little extra protection against the diseases of old age. Centenarians appear to have a high chance of having several such genes embedded in their DNA.

“Long-lived people do not have fewer disease genes or ageing genes,” said Eline Slagboom of Leiden University, who is leading a study into 3,500 Dutch nonagenarians. “Instead they have other genes that stop those disease genes from being switched on. Longevity is strongly genetic and inherited.”

Slagboom and her colleagues recently published studies showing how the physiology of people in long-lived families differs from normal people. Other studies, showing the genetic causes of those differences, are due for publication soon.

“People who live to a great age metabolise fats and glucose differently, their skin ages more slowly and they have lower prevalence of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension,” she said.

“These factors are all under strong genetic control, so we see the same features in the children of very old people.”

The so-called Methuselah genes — named after the biblical patriarch who lived to 969 — are thought to include ADIPOQ, which is found in about 10% of young people but in nearly 30% of people living past 100. The CETP gene and the ApoC3 gene are found in 10% of young people, but in about 20% of centenarians.

Some of those genes were discovered by a research group at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, led by Prof Nir Barzilai, following an analysis of the genes of over 500 centenarians and their offspring.

The studies show that tiny mutations in the make-up of particular genes can sharply increase a person’s lifespan. Nonetheless, environmental factors such as the decline in infectious diseases are an important factor in the steady rise in the number of centenarians. The human genome contains about 28,000 genes, but they are controlled by a tiny number of so-called regulator genes.

Dr Barzilai told a Royal Society conference that the discovery of such genes gave scientists clear targets for developing drugs that could prevent or delay the onset of age-related diseases, potentially lengthening people's lives and keeping them healthier for longer.

Dr David Gems, a longevity researcher at University College London, believes that treatments to slow ageing will become widespread.

“If we know which genes control longevity then we can find out what proteins they make and then target them with drugs. That makes it possible to slow down ageing. We need to reclassify it as a disease rather than as a benign, natural process,” he said.

“Much of the pain and suffering in the world are caused by ageing. If we can find a way to reduce that, then we are morally obliged to take it.”

An anti-ageing drug which might be taken by millions of people, perhaps from middle age onwards, could be the ultimate blockbuster for the pharmaceutical industry.

Michelle Mitchell of Age UK said: “Ageing is a natural part of life. The key is to ensure that we do not simply extend life but extend the years of healthy life so that people can enjoy, not endure, their later years.”