40% of adult American Indians and Alaska Natives are smokers--this is the highest rate of commercial tobacco use among every age, ethnic, and gender category in the U.S

In a recent national survey, American Indian and Alaska Native youth were more likely then youths from other racial/ethnic groups to smoke cigarettes during the last month. Studies vary in estimating the current AI/AN youth smoking rate to be between 30% and 50%.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among American Indians. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among American Indians. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for both diseases.

Targeting American Indians for future customers, some tobacco companies use American Indian images and cultural symbols in their advertising, such as warriors, feathers, regalia and words like "natural" in the brand names. To build its image and credibility in the community, the tobacco industry funds cultural events such as powwows and rodeos.

While the Indian Health Service is responsible for fullfilling the U.S. trust obligation of providing healthcare, it consistently receives between 40% and 50% of the funding required to provide minimum services.

As sovereign nations, tribes were excluded from eligibility to receive any funds from the Master Settlement Agreement, leaving them to rely on dwindling, or in some cases nonexistent, state funding for tobacco control.

Federal, state, and local funding mechanisms often assume incorrectly that most tribes have the capacity and infrastructure to launch and maintain tobacco control activities of their own, and thereby omit tribal communties from outreach services.

Tobacco sales are important economic ventures for some tribes. Cheaper cigarettes are often accesible to American Indians on tribal lands.

It is estimated that the tobacco plant has been used in a sacred way by American Indians for over 18,000 years. Traditional tobacco is still used by many tribes--often in prayer, or gifted to elders or to people who share wisdom or prayers. While it does contain nicotine, traditional tobacco is not processed with chemicals or used in the same way as commercial tobacco so does not pose the same health risks.

Printable Version in PDF Format

To see how the tobacco company targets the American Indians by advertising and how much they make as well as tips for your community, please read these printable downloadable versions.