Some American Indian traditional use of tobacco is for ceremonial or religious reasons, which creates an important distinction between traditional and commercial use. The tobacco industry preys on these traditions, funding powwows and promoting brands like Natural American Spirit.1 They appropriate American Indian cultures to sell their deadly products, not to show meaningful support for American Indian communities.2
Big Tobacco also sees American Indian-owned casinos as an avenue to distribute their products. The Industry funds these businesses in exchange for carrying an endless supply of cigarettes, preying on concerns that allowing indoor smoking is key to their casino’s success,3 despite evidence that a smoke-free environment would actually increase patronage.4
This kind of cultural exploitation contributes to American Indian communities having the highest rate of smoking prevalence in California, and the only group where smoking is on the rise.5 Nearly one in three native adults in California smoke. However, tobacco’s harm goes beyond those that use it – native populations also report more exposure to secondhand smoke at home.6
It’s time to break Big Tobacco’s grip on American Indian communities.
Find out more about what each organization is doing to fight the tobacco industry's predatory tactics.
The American Indian Coordinating Center strives to build respectful relationships with California tribal nations to voluntarily adopt smoke-free policies to reduce the tobacco-related health harms and disparities among these communities, and promote improved health and well-being for all.
Tobacco’s impact on health disparities in California
For decades, the tobacco industry has aggressively targeted California’s diverse communities with predatory practices. Internal documents from Big Tobacco outline their strategies – many of which are shocking attempts to peddle deadly products by way of product discounts and manipulative advertising. They even gave away free products to youth in the past. These tactics masquerade as support for communities under the guise of cultural celebration.
Unfortunately, the tactics have worked. Big Tobacco aggressively targeted communities and, as a result, some populations have higher rates of tobacco use, experience greater secondhand smoke exposure at work and at home, and have higher rates of tobacco-related disease than the general population.7
Addressing tobacco-related health inequities is key to California’s efforts to fight tobacco, our state’s number one cause of preventable death and disease.8 Tobacco use, pricing, and its impact across California were analyzed where significant disparities were found across various populations. See how Big Tobacco affects each community in the Nation’s most diverse state.
