(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing new taxes and tax hikes on smoking products that she says are a key factor in Iowa’s high rate of lung cancer.  “We know that’s a known cause of lung cancer and I think it’s something that we need to take very seriously,” Reynolds said. “…National statistics say that 80% of lung cancer is caused by tobacco and when we’re looking at all the other levers, I don’t think we can set that out when it’s 80% of the narrative.”

Reynolds invited University of Iowa researchers to Des Moines yesterday (Thursday) to release preliminary data from their study of what may be contributing to Iowa’s troubling rate of new cancer cases. “This work will have a lasting impact on our state and I appreciate the commitment of everyone involved,” Reynolds said. “…This is how transformation begins — not just with talk, but with action and when it comes to fighting cancer, Iowans deserve nothing less.”

Reynolds proposes raising the state tax on a pack of cigarettes to the national average, which is just over two dollars a pack. Reynolds is recommending that the state start charging a 15 percent tax on vaping products and consumable hemp products. She’s also called for eliminating certain dyes and additives from food served in Iowa schools as well as requiring physicians to complete a nutrition course as part of the continuing education requirements for Iowa medical licenses.

“Today’s research findings make it very clear how important healthy behaviors are for the overall health and well-being,” Reynolds said, “and my bill aims to really amplify that message.” The University of Iowa’s cancer research is focusing on the most common types of cancer and has found Iowa has more cases of late-stage lung cancer than other states. “The numbers aren’t good for lung cancer, they’re really not,” Reynolds said, “and it’s hard to detect.”

The governor’s husband was diagnosed with what she describes as a fast-growing form of lung cancer in September of 2023.  “I don’t think probably if it hadn’t metastasized to the spine and he was in so much pain, I’m not sure we would have found it soon enough and Kevin doesn’t smoke,” Reynolds said. “He’s never smoked. He’s pretty trim and fit.”

Kevin Reynolds underwent immunotherapy that shrunk the tumor in six weeks and his cancer is in remission.