Commercial Tobacco

Commercial tobacco companies have targeted³ American Indians and Alaska Natives since the 1930s⁴ by using cultural imagery and stereotypical concepts in their marketing campaigns.

Case-in-point: Natural American Spirit⁵ cigarettes.
The brand packaging⁶ showcases an American Indian wearing a headdress and smoking a peace pipe, with messaging that emphasizes “natural tobacco” and “additive free” to suggest that these are healthy cigarettes. Further, these groups are subjected to tobacco marketing more frequently⁷ in stores than Non-Hispanic White people.

By associating commercial tobacco with the culturally valuable traditional tobacco, companies have misrepresented American Indian values to increase revenue across this target demographic.

Used recreationally, commercial tobacco is produced by companies and contains thousands of chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic. When burned, it produces more than 7,000 chemical compounds,⁸ contributing to health issues and premature death.

Commercial tobacco also causes nicotine addiction. Nicotine, the primary addictive substance in commercial tobacco, causes immediate stimulation followed by depression. It harms health by accelerating heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and raising blood pressure.

Exposure to commercial tobacco smoke does not just cause lung cancer. It is associated with 12⁹ different cancers, including cervical, kidney, liver, and stomach, in addition to a variety of other health problems

American Indian and Alaska Native populations are at greater risk of tobacco-related disease and death due to higher rates of smoking and other tobacco use.

Among American Indians/Alaska Natives:

Cardiovascular disease¹⁰ is the leading cause of death

Lung cancer¹⁰ is the leading cause of cancer deaths

Diabetes¹⁰ is the fourth leading cause of death