Importance of Tobacco Education within Native American Communities

Tobacco education is extremely important within Native American communities because it is essential to keep the Native American families healthy and traditional tobacco sacred. The abuse of commercial tobacco products has taken a toll on the health of Native people and has hurt the Native culture in many ways. Tobacco education provides various information and resources that people need in order to protect themselves and others around them from the harmful effects of commercial tobacco products. Tobacco educators teach children, teenagers, and even adults about the harms that commercial tobacco can have on you and things around you, the ways that the tobacco companies manipulate people to use their products, the ways tobacco companies misrepresent Native Americans, information about cigarette butt litter, and the diseases and cancers that can be caused by commerical tobacco products.

 Not only do tobacco education programs provide information, it also provides resources such as cessation help in order to quit using commercial tobacco products, referrals, assistance, counseling and much more for smokers and non smokers. Tobacco education programs also create posters, video PSA's, informational brochures, classes, quit kits, and many other things in which educate and help people quit smoking. The leading preventable cause of deaths in the United States is from the use of commercial tobacco products, and this is why it is so important for people to learn, research, and stay away from commercial tobacco products. If the tobacco education did not exist within Native American communities, a lot of Native Americans would not know of the harmful effects and how the tobacco companies effect their traditional tobacco. When people smoke, they don't realize the impact they are having on other people and environment surrounding them. If we did not have tobacco education, there would be a lot of people unaware of the harmful effects that commercial tobacco products produce.

More reasons why tobacco education is important among Native American communities:

Misrepresentation of Native Americans:

A lot of tobacco companies use images and words on their products that relate to Native traditions and cultures; their way of manipulating people to believe their products are healthier and more natural than other brands on the market. For example, Natural American Spirit, has a Native smoking on a piece pipe on the front of their package. This shows a great example of what I am talking about, this cigarette brand is owned and operated by R.J Reynolds, the same owner of Camel and Winston cigarettes but they are using these images and words to manipulate people. Not only are the images manipulating but the brand name "Natural American Spirit" are words that relate or sound like they would be natural and Native. This product claims to be natural, but in fact this cigarette has higher level of nicotine and tar than other leading brands. What is so natural about these cigarettes? I see nothing natural or sacred, but everyday I continue to see people manipulated by the tobacco companies tricks. Not only are these tobacco companies misrepresenting Native American traditions but they are changing the real meaning of their traditions, objects, and words, while they are make billions of dollars doing so.

High rates of smoking among Native Americans:

Within the United States, Native Americans have the highest rate of smokers than any other ethnic group. This possibly wouldn't be a problem within the Native Americans but it is because Natives are targeted by many tobacco companies. The companies will use images and words to target Natives and non-natives to buy their cigarettes just because of their package and advertisements. Native Americans smoking and using commercial tobacco products is not healthy for them or their culture. Another reason why it is so essential to have tobacco education with Native American communities. We want to keep people away from abusing tobacco and keep tobacco sacred.

Hurting the Environment:

After people light up their cigarettes, only 10 percent of them get disposed in a proper place like an ashtray. But the rest of the toxic cigarette butts gets littered on streets, sidewalks, gutters, and most end up in rivers, lakes, streams, bays, and oceans. It is important for people to learn about the harm that cigarettes butts have on the lives that live within water and live out of water. Fish mistake these toxic cigarette butts for food, which then leads to the death of many fish because they are suffocated by the toxic waste. Along with fish, many more animals and creatures are hurt by the litter that once could have been prevented.

                                    

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References:

Winter, Joseph, and Lawrence Shorty. "The Traditional Native American Tobacco Seed Bank and Education Program (TNAT)." Indian Health Service. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ihs.gov/oscar/export_pdf.cfm?submission_uuid=92D7DE88-FE4E-E600-67599EA316F19846>.


"American Spirit Cigarettes: Not Healthy and Not Native." Ethical Shopping. 19 Sept. 2007. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ethicalshopping.com/food/packaged-products/american-spirit-cigarettes.html>.


"News CDC: Smoking Rates Highest among Native Americans." Indianz.Com - Your Internet Resource. 02 Feb. 2004. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://64.38.12.138/News/archives/003557.asp>.


"Cigarette Litter Facts." Bluegrass PRIDE. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bgpride.org/CigaretteLitterFacts.htm>.


"Hold on to Your Butt." Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://www.surfridersd.org/hotyb.php>.