By Arlo Pérez Esquivel/CPR News
White House officials and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera were in Aurora Wednesday to tout Biden's Cancer Moonshot, a multi-phase effort aimed at reducing cancer death rate by half within 25 years.
The meeting came just a day after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis announced Philip Morris International will build a new Zyn nicotine pouch factory in the city. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis highlighted the factory’s proposed jobs and potential economic benefits.
On Wednesday, Primavera seemed to be caught by surprise when asked about the Phillip Morris factory announcement.
“Here?” she said, before an aide interrupted the conversation.
While nicotine by itself is not a carcinogen, it is the addictive chemical used in cigarettes such as Marlboros, one of PMI’s best known products. Tuesday’s factory announcement left some public health advocates stunned that the government would incentivize a new manufacturing plant for one of the largest Big Tobacco companies.
Phillip Morris says they are pushing to create a safer product with noncarcinogenic nicotine pouches. However, doctors and public health experts worry about the potential harmful impact on bodies and brains, particularly with minors, including the risk of addiction.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s meeting was used to discuss the Cancer Moonshot’s past achievements as well as its current phase, which emphasizes the “role Americans can play,” such as resuming routine cancer screenings and quitting smoking.
“As a cancer survivor, I wanted to do everything I could to improve the health care access for cancer patients,” Primavera said.
The Biden Cancer Moonshot was started by the Obama administration back in 2016, and revamped by Biden in 2022. Since then, the administration boasts great advancements in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
“There's so many different kinds of cancers,” Arati Probhakar, the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said. “They happen for so many different reasons. And some of them are things that individuals can also do something about. Like eating healthier, getting more exercise, not smoking.”
