Advocate: Stigma Stops Funds for Lung Cancer Research
Two bills currently under consideration by the state Legislature would raise the tobacco tax, but "little, if any, of the revenue generated under these bills would actually go toward lung cancer research," writes Kim Norris, president of the Lung Cancer Foundation of America. Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, it "remains the most under-funded and under-researched cancer" because it "still carries the stigma that somehow you brought the disease on yourself." She continues, "The bottom line is that all cancer victims should be treated equally, regardless of personal habits."
- "Stigma of Lung Cancer Stymies Research Funds" (Norris, Los Angeles Times, 8/24).