Use and misuse of tobacco among Aboriginal peoples - Update 2006

Changes in the use of tobacco by Aboriginal peoples have occurred over time, from the spiritual, ceremonial use of fairly mild tobacco at the time of the first contact with Europeans to the highly addictive tobacco in use today, both in ceremonies and recreationally. Although some people still have access to and are using traditional sacred tobacco, subsequent misuse of tobacco has put the health, quality of life and life expectancy of a large number of adults and children in First Nations and Inuit communities in peril (1). The present document, a revision of a 1999 Canadian Paediatric Society statement on smoking (2), looks at the consequences of tobacco use and possible reasons for its high prevalence, and explores some attempts at a solution.