Traditional Tobacco Use

Very high risk of cancer if you use chew, snuff, or smoke cigarettes.
Gives you an unpleasant odor and bad breath.
Chewing leads to gum disease, tooth decay and cancer of the mouth and throat.
Commercial tobacco contains harmful chemicals such as arsenic (poison), acetone (nail polish remover), methanol (anti-freeze), nicotine (insecticide), ammonia (window cleaner), carbon monoxide (car exhaust), cyanide (rat poison), dimethyl benzyl (toilet bowl cleaner), formaldehyde (preserves dead tissue).
When used daily it is easy to forget its harmful effects.
It is highly addictive.
Cigarettes discolor your teeth, cause lung cancer and heart disease.
Smoking can permanently damage your eyes, throat, bones, joints and skin-even if you later quit.

When tobacco is offered to the earth and fire, it is held in the hand and not smoked. Some sacred pipes are smoked but not all pipes contain tobacco.
Some tribes don’t use tobacco at all and some will use a blend of tobacco and other herbs.
Traditional tobacco teaches you discipline.
You learn respect for the creator and all creation.
You have a better understanding for your Indian culture.
Traditional tobacco is free of chemicals and poisons.
You gain spiritual development towards being a good person.
You use it to pray with and is considered a Medicine for one’s health and well being.
It is used less than once a month. There is no risk of cancer when used this way.