Tobacco taxes could finance KU cancer research
By JIM COBB Staff Writer
The KU Medical Center could establish one of the nation's finest cancer treatment and research
But it would cost a great deal of money.
The cost of improving Kansas' cancer programs was the justification for a proposal made last year. The fact that would have raised the state cigarette tax would also propel a proposal failed to gain enough support for passage in 1978 but will be introduced again in the 1977 session. State Rep. Lloyd Buzzi, R-Lawrence, said it
Buzzi said a glut of finance bills in the last session's closing days and fervent opposition to the bill by tobacco industry lobbyists doomed the government to a better response from the legislature next year.
"TD LIKE TO see us take a good look at it again," he said. "No one wants to increase taxes, but we've been fairly conservative in taxing in that area in Kansas."
If approved, additional revenue of from $2.5 million to $2.3 million would be added to the stock price.
probably would be made available to the Med Center and related cancer-treatment programs.
The bill was written by the Senate Ways and Means Committee and was passed by the full Senate after it deleted a provision that earmarked funds for the Med Center, apparently because of pressure tobacco industry. That industry's lobbyists reportedly tried to equating cigarette taxes with cancer research.
IN THE HOUSE, discussion of the bill was deferred until Buzii had it placed on the house calendar in the last days of the 1976 session. The full house voted to kill the bill, dashes the hopes of Buzii and University officials that it would be sent to a summer study committee.
Burza said he hoped it would again be sponsored by a legislative committee. HePresident Bennett supported the bill. Although Gov. Robert Bennett didn't speak out,he probably would like to get an earlier year.
Burzi said he had had private discussions with Bennett last year about the proposal.
James Lowman, director of the Mid-America Cancer Center Program and professor of pediatrics at the Med Center, said that among the proposed programs that the funding could make possible were
PAUL SCHLORER, dean of research admitting at the MES Centre. If the proposal were approved the appointment will be made.
clinics for early detection of cancer.
both existing cancer-treatment programs and creation of new programs at the Med Center.
- renalization programs for cancer patients.
- a regional surveillance program that would investigate and keep records of specialized types of cancer that occur within geographic areas.
research of cancer treatments.
INITIATION OF pilot programs to be expanded later across the state would be a major goal of improved cancer programs, Lowman said. Because patients would be charged for services, such programs would be mostly self-sustaining, he said, and he models for programs at various locations.
—some expensive research equipment that could be used by several research programs.
needed, he said, because about half of cured cancer patients aren't able to return to the same productivity that they had before they discovered they had cancer.
About 10 to 15 per cent of additional funding would be used for regional surveillance so that new types, cases and outbreaks of cancer within a region could be studied to determine their causes. The research would also use several university campuses, including KU's Lawrence campus and Kansas State University.
LOWMAN SAID an example of the expensive equipment needed for research that didn't always receive adequate funding from other sources was that his team used a virus-detection facility, which cost about $800,000.
A tremendous amount of money is needed for high quality cancer programs, Lowman said. He said that with strong state support, rather than dependence on "on-again, off-again" federal funding, Kansas could develop one of the nation's finest programs.
The goal of early detection clinics is to improve the survival rate of patients who have cancer from early diagnosis.
Buzzi said a "very few" legislators prevented the bill from becoming law last year. He has high hopes for its passage next year, he said, "but I don't want it to happen" optimistic in predicting what will happen.
THE TORACCO industry's lobbyists are very powerful, he said. Lowman that because the lobbyists also represented retail groups, they closely examined every proposed tax.
The Kansas cigarette tax now is 11 cents a pack. Buzz said that tax was very low compared with that of other states and local governmental units that have imposed taxes in the 20-cent range.
Missouri, for example, has a nine-citet tax. Both Kansas City, Mo., and Jackson County, Mo., however, each impose additional taxes of five cents per unit of cigarettes and cigarette bought in Kansas City to 19 cents a pack.
Lownan said he remained "the world's greatest optimist!" that additional cancer funding would be needed.
"I'm amazed that it went as far as it did. I’m excited to know that people are interested in bringing it up again, and I hope we'll get farther with it this year," he said.
The circus atmosphere was further enhanced by the animal performers, who danced and sang as well as easelese chewing the life of a circus act while chewing grass soaked by rain in front of Watson. Meanwhile, Otello the pony was playing a trumpet while callope music played in the background.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
THERE WAS NO doubt that the circus' emphasis was on having fun, but there was also a feeling of sobriety about the final trick—a water escape-performed by the
the University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
"Our act is basically the same as far as what we do," Gary Glibet of Kansas City, Mo. said. "But we improvise according to audiences, timing and situations."
KANSAN
heber, from San Jose, Calif., injected a bite of local humor into his act after the whistle signaling the end of classes blew. "I didn't let a guy play a guitar!" he asked
"You can only do this trick wrong once," he said.
Vol.87 No.33
Winn denounces report's release
Staff photo bv GEORGE MILLENER
A MUTILIZED dollar bill was burned only to reappear inside a lemon recently cut in half. Nick Weber, the bearded and balding leader of the troupe, managed to maintain a running dialogue with the one man balancing a one-man plow on his face.
Roual performance
See story page nine
Thursday, October 7.1976
The players, wearing the white makeup so akin to circus clowns, all were dressed alike in multicolored, tunics in a diamond pattern over leotards and ballet slippers.
Mitch Kincannon of Severy, Mont., and Nick Weber of San Jose, Calif., went into a two step during his performance at the 2014
Comedy highlights circus
Staff Writer
Royal Lichtentheel Quarter-Ring Circus in front of Watson Library. The circus in our museum is open from September 17 to November 30. Circus time is 11:45am.
By PAUL JEFFERSON
Monty Python, watch out. The Royal Lichtenstein Quarter-Ring Circus is a growing force to be reckoned with among circus acts.
The four-member troupe, accompanied by a black bear named Dorothy, a small performance troupe and Jinglebells, enlivened the campus yesterday for a noon-hour performance in the courtyard.
Billed as "The World's Smallest Cricket," the group did a variety of card tricks, comical routines and balancing acts before 450 students who crowded around the ring.
one member of the troupe, Kevin Duggan of San Jose, Calif.
Duggan was lifted into a 100-gallon milk drum filled with water, the top was padlocked in four places and he was given two minutes to escape.
"I've gotten stuck in there a couple of
After two minutes and 12 seconds, Dugan emerged from the cylinder below.
The group's KU appearance was sponsored by the Canterbury House, 1116 Louisiana St., and the St. Lawrence Student Center, 1631 Crescent Road.
times, and it's kind of hairy. But we have a safety system worked into it, so there no's around.
The troup's performing season runs from
september through May and they tour all
week.
Defense policies spark 2nd Ford-Carter debate
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—In a debate on foreign and defense policies last night between President Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, The President insisted that there could be no debate about the "experience and results" he had achieved. Carter contended that America's strength, respect and future chance had fallen under the Republicans.
Carter, the Democratic presidential nominee, accused Ford of abdicating foreign policy control to Henry Kissinger, secretary of state, and said that Ford had "always show a weakness in yielding to pressure" from foreign powers.
Ford countered that he had negotiated foreign policy successfully from a position of strength that would be undercut by our spending reductions Carter had adjourned.
WHEN THE SECOND instalment of their nationally televised Great Debate series was over, both White House candidates said they were satisfied.
"I think I won, and I'm sure he feels the same way," Carter said. He said he rated the first debate a draw, "but I feel better about this one."
Ford said: "I think we did all right."
A telephone survey conducted for the Broadcasting System by pollster Brianna Brooks asked 40 per cent of those surveyed thought the Democratic nominee had won the debate, 30 per cent gave it to Ford, and 30 per cent considered it a draw. His sample of about six per cent had a margin for error of about six per cent.
ON TWO POINTS Ford showed the political power that lies with the incumbent. He disclosed that the Soviet Union had signaled readiness to narrow differences and shape "a realistic and sound compromise" for a new agreement to limit strategic nuclear weapons. And Ford said that the administration today would answer the names of companies that had participated in the Arab boycott against Israel.
to provide leadership, Ford said Carter apparently didn't know the facts.
Repeatedly, Carter said Ford had failed
Carter said the administration had been outbargained by the Soviet Union; Ford said detente had been a two-way exercise, beneficial to the United States.
CARTER, IN A skip at Kissinger, said,
"Mr. Ford and Mr. Kissinger have continued on with the policies and failures of Richard Nixon. Even the Republican platform has criticized the lack of leadership in Mr. Ford."
Carter was referring to language inserted in the platform by backers of Ronald
Reagan, who opposed Ford for the Republican presidential nomination.
Carter said that Ford and Kissinger had functioned in secret, excluding the American people from the shaping of foreign policy. Carter said the two would have started another Vietnam in Angola, had they not been stunned by public outcry.
RESPONDING TO a question that listed the foreign policy successes of the past two years, Carter said: "I think the Republican Party was very good at managing both spectacular and not substance." He
See DEFENSE page two
Senate OKs funding ratifies library petition
The Student Senate had its own debate last night and spent nearly three hours before approving the funding recommendations of the Fall Budget Committee.
All of the 18 proposed allocations totalling
$10,000 are a $10 allocation to Operation
Friendship
A motion to fund the Oliver Hall Drama Guild was defeated and the committee's decision to withhold funding to the KU ice hockey club were endorsed by the full Senate
The only other legislation acted upon last night was a petition regarding additional University funding of Watson Library. The approved petition, requesting $33,000 for supplemental library funds, will be submitted to Chancellor Archie Dykes.
THE SUPPLEMENTAL funds wusa
the library's budget for student
assistance$^1$
Tedde Tasheff, student body president, said she thought it was important for the Senate to approve the petition and show the support its support of increased library funding.
Earlier in the meeting, Bill Blessing, SenEx representative, told the Senate that increased enrollment this year had given the University a larger budget than was expected. He said that "with a little encouragement it would spend that money on the library."
In her report to the Senate, Tashaseff said she had met with Jerry Rogers, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, to discuss how the effects of next fall's tuition increase.
SHE SAID Rogers told her that the office's requests for government grants would increase in proportion to the tuition increase.
In other business, Steve Leben, chairman of the Communications Committee, asked the senators to report any violations of a bill passed that requires all organizations funded by the Senate to indicate on any of the documents that they are funded by the Senate.
He said that the Communications Committee may withdraw Senate funds from any organization that continued to violate the act.
Research funds scarce for basic scientists
By BARBARA ROSEWICZ
National interest in certain practical research projects and a shortage of funding have left some basic scientists shortened in their bids for research money.
Some established basic science researchers are having to scrape funds together for their projects, perhaps more so than clinical researchers whose research is popular these days and can be supplemented by a clinical department fund.
There is a difference between basic science and clinical research. Basic science research is geared toward development of new medical technologies tovolve human beings in research tests; clinical research is more practical because it is designed to apply information to human beings, Paul Schloebr, of research at the Med Center, said yester-
Although there's no hard data, Schloerb said, he thinks there has been a recent emphasis on "targeted research," for example, in the documentation for the cure of specific diseases.
R. E. Amulunxin, a Med Center microbiologist, said basic scientists at the Med Center were discouraged by research projects that were approved by national grant agencies but not funded because there wasn't enough money.
"IT IS FOR this reason that it has been more difficult for basic science researchers to have adequate financial support," he said.
Funds for basic scientific research have decreased, he said, and more money is being funded to clinical projects that deal with contemporary problems, such as strokes, heart attacks and especially cancer.
"WE HAVE A situation in which 60 to 70 per cent of the basic scientists are not being funded at all," he said.
Research funding problems are evident at two levels of funding, both federal and nonfederal.
Ninety per cent of the Med Center's total research funding of $12,983,356 is made up of federal funding, most of which are provided by the National Institutes of Health (NHI).
Researchers make individual applications to national granting agencies. A committee of scientists then reviews and evaluates grants according to a ranking by priority.
MORIS FAMAN, KU professor of pharmacology and a member of the NIH committee that review project ap
plications, said that an increase in overall research funding was offset by the decreasing value of the research dollar.
He said that the NIH didn't favor clinical projects over basic science projects, but that all applications were judged equally on the basis of scientific merit. Some federal tax dollars, he said, are appropriated by Congress for specific purposes.
One of these special projects is cancer research.
SCHLEROE SAID Congress gave more money to cancer research than to any other areas of health in a bill Congress passed in 1983 that would veto. The National Cancer Institute is to receive $151 million, more than twice as much as the Heart, Lung and Blood Infections program.
"It seems Congress just suddenly turned toward funding more of the research having to do with cancer and clinical projects." Amulukun said.
That left fewer federal dollars for basic science projects, he said, and basic scientists had to turn to nonfederal funding.
NONFEDERAL funding comprises funds from the University of Kansas Endowment Association, an institutional body that supports such organizations as the American
Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.
"Half of the basic scientists, or maybe 60 per cent, have no funds from outside agencies, but that's not to say they have no funding." Schloerb said.
Researchers without funds are encouraged to apply to private agencies for funding.
The Endowment Association Executive Committee gets $25,000 to $30,000 from the Fletcher Fund, a special Med Center fund, and also from some unrestricted funds and parcels it out to researchers who apply for the grants. The grant was contributed through the Endowment Association to the Med Center.
INSTITUTIONAL funds, from a biomedical grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, which tookarch from April 1976 through March 1982.
These funds are appropriated by a committee elected by the faculty.
Schloereb, chairman of the committee, said preference in institutional fund appropriations was given to new faculty to establish a laboratory and to start research.
Rolf Barth, a pathologist and another member of the committee, said institutional funds were distributed without clinical and basic science researchers.
BASIC SCIENTISTS are still doing basic research, he said, but there are several reasons why some basic science at the Med Center don't have funding.
One reason is that there simply isn't enough money in the institutional fund, be said.
Schoerb that from the available institutional funds, only a few thousand dollars apiece could be given to researchers. It usually takes much more to get the necessary equipment and to maintain the research project, he said.
"I HOPE THAT SOMETHING the state of Kansas will provide support for research through legislation in a manner similar to what the Lawrence campus," Schlieber said.
Last year $750,000 was budgeted by the state for research at the Lawrence campus. The Med Center receives no state funds for research.
"It seems that we should be getting a comparable amount here," Barb said. This was the first research was cut from the Med Center proposed budget by the Board of Regents
"I don't know of any solution."
Mulnacken said. "All I can say is an awful lot of money is being channelled in these groups and not being spread around."