Lives going up in smoke

The goal is smoke-free First Nations.
The means to get there: encourage the youth, who will be the future leaders, not to start smoking and to lobby their community leaders to start smoking bans, says Pamela Burton, Tobacco Prevention and Education program coordinator for Chiefs of Ontario.
“It starts with community leadership,” Burton said. “Chiefs and councils will have to make smoking bans if that is something they support.”
With all the known dangers of smoking, Burton said it is disappointing to know few, if any, First Nations followed Ontario’s lead in banning smoking in all enclosed workplaces and enclosed public places. The provincial law went into effect May 31, 2006.
“Why is our health less important?” Burton, who organized the Tobacco Talk youth gathering in Thunder Bay Jan. 28-30, said. “Why are policies not already in place?”
It was a question no one could answer.
According to statistics provided through the conference, in the 1970s, more than 70 per cent of all Canadians were smokers.
That rate has dropped to 18 per cent now.
But more than half of all First Nations people are smokers, with most starting when they are 13-16 years old.
“That is why this conference is so important,” Burton said. “We need to keep the youth from starting.”
Thunder Bay District Health Unit registered nurse Amber White agreed, saying if people can get through their post-secondary schooling without starting a smoking addiction, there is almost no chance they will start smoking later in life.
“We need to talk to the youth about the dangers of commercial tobacco,” Burton said. “They need to know the risks: cancer, carcinogens, other health problems. But they also need to understand that if they participate in smudges and ceremonies with commercial tobacco, they are breathing in all these same chemicals. They need to know and understand the difference between commercial tobacco and natural tobacco you can grow or make that is clean and healthy.”
During the conference, Elder Phyllis Shaugabay led a workshop to show the two-dozen participants how to make a form of tobacco powder out of willow trees to use in ceremonies.
Darryl Sainnawap, a participant from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, said it’s important for people to know they can make their own tobacco.
“The commercial tobacco ... isn’t good for us – in offerings.”
Eleven cancer causing chemicals found in modern tobacco
“This is something I will share with my community.”
Sainnawap said he has a much better understanding of the traditional uses for tobacco – and differences from commercial tobacco – after having participated in the conference.
Traditional tobacco has been used for ceremonial purposes and to thank the Creator and Mother Earth, Burton said.
Modern tobacco contains more than 4,000 chemicals, 11 of which are known to cause cancer.
A dozen others are believed to cause cancer, said White, who also led a workshop during the three-day conference.
Some of the hazardous chemicals include carbon monoxide, arsenic, formaldehyde and tar, she said.
During her presentation, White took questions from the audience regarding tobbaco.
Are cigars healthier than cigarettes?
“No, they are just as bad and perhaps worse because of the volume of chemicals.
“One (normal size) cigar contains the equivalent of 22 cigarettes.”
What if I don’t inhale?
“Not inhaling is an urban myth. It is physically impossible.”
What about third-hand smoke?
“Third-hand smoke, like smoke stuck in your clothes, curtains or carpet, is just as bad as second-hand smoke. And second-hand smoke can be worse than first-hand because of the chemical reactions and changes that happen with a lit cigarette.”