New program to address smoking addiction in communities.

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EDMONTON

For many Aboriginals who choose to partake in the traditional customs of their culture, tobacco is certainly not frowned upon. In fact, for centuries most Elders who performed ceremonies incorporated the cured leaves into their bundles and burned the plant to become closer with the Creator.

However, times have changed and enter the addictive and extremely unhealthy: cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, all of which involve countless chemicals.

Alberta's Nechi Training Research and Health Promotions Institute is making it its mission to present the facts of the deadly effects of cigarette smoking and eradicate tobacco myths that pose as tradition and lure youth to take on the harmful addiction.

The Aboriginal education facility will receive $370,000 from Health Canada for an Aboriginal Tobacco Cessation Project. Students will be trained and certified to travel to communities within the region and help educate Aboriginals about the side effects of nontraditional tobacco use.

Anita Makokis, director of health promotions at the Nechi Institute, is responsible for training the trainers who will eventually guide small communities on how to break the habit of cigarette smoking.

With 37,000 Canadians dying each year from tobacco-related diseases, Makokis is confident that the key to reducing the number of cigarette-addicted adults is to get through to the youth.

"We have such a high growing youth population, that if we don't start doing some intervention prevention with our youth, we're going to see a lot more problems," said Makokis, who added that most of the young people in the community are clueless about all of the lethal ailments that are linked to cigarettes.

A study published by Alberta Health Services (formerly AADAC) revealed that in 2002 and 2003, 59 percent of the First Nations population was cigarette smokers, triple the rate found in the entire Canadian population of smokers.

The Tobacco Cessation Program will consist of four modules; traditional tobacco, commercial tobacco, intervention, and community building and capacity. The modules will also be available to health professionals in Alberta who want to be better informed of the history behind tobacco and Aboriginals.

Makokis explained that the strong cultural significance tobacco symbolizes can make it challenging to convince youth to stay away from smoking.

"I had one young girl tell me: 'Well my grandmother said when you are given a cigarette you have to smoke it,'" said Makokis, who emphasized that many Aboriginal youths she speaks with are misguided when it comes to making healthy decisions while still respecting their culture.

Burning tobacco or offering it to the water, Makokis said, are alternatives to smoking tobacco offerings that may be in the form of cigarettes.

Makokis said the Nechi Institute has requested funds from Health Canada for a separate program that is designed specifically for Aboriginal youths.

According to 2008 Health Canada statistics, 16 percent of teens between 15 to 19 years were considered smokers.

Although the Tobacco Cessation Project is still in the preliminary stages, two communities have already initiated contact the Nechi Institute and requested educators to come inform their members.

BY ISHA THOMPSON

Sweetgrass Staff Writer