05/31/2026
May 31 is recognized as World No To***co Day. The theme for 2026 is “Unmask the Appeal-Countering Ni****ne and To***co Addiction” This is an effort to combat the tactics that the to***co industry uses to get people hooked. This includes candy and other flavors used in e-ci******es, or vapes, that enticeyounger people to try out this hazardous invention.
The use of to***co products is addictive because it contains ni****ne. Use of to***co in any form has a wide range of health impacts such as cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and increased risk of coronary disease and heart attacks. The use of to***co leads to more than 8 million deaths each year worldwide, including 1.2 million as the result of exposure to second-hand smoke.
American Indians have long used to***co as a sacred medicine, it is used as an offering, as part of prayers and is used ceremonially not recreationally. In more recent times American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have started the improper use of to***co and suffer the effects. The Center for Disease Control has posted that “On average, AI/AN people are more likely to smoke ci******es than other racial or ethnic groups in the U.S. and AI/AN people, compared to the other racial and ethnic groups, have a higher risk of death and disease caused by using commercial to***co products like ci******es, smokeless to***co, and cigars.” According to the organization Keep It Sacred “More than 1 in 4 AI/AN adults smoke ci******es. At 26%, that's 1.5 times greater than the US smoking rate. Out of the 10 leading causes of death among AI/AN, 6 of them have been linked to smoking.”
The American Lung Association has assistance for those who want to stop the commercial use of to***co. To get info go to: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/i-want-to-quit
For additional resources and information go to:
VIDEO: The Dark Truth Behind Ni****ne Addiction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYKaedCm0Ok
VIDEO: Keeping To***co Sacred
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iLptENxinE&t=38s
https://www.cdc.gov/to***co-health-equity/collection/aian.html
https://keepitsacred.itcmi.org/
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-to***co-day/2026
