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American Indian
Tobacco Education Partnership
AITEP
Working To Keep
Tobacco Sacred
A Program of the California Rural Indian
Health Board, Inc.
Our Mission
American Indian Tobacco Education Partnership's (AITEP) mission is to promote, support, and protect the health, traditions, and cultural values of American Indians as they relate to sacred tobacco use and to commercial tobacco abuse.
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Who We Are
AITEP consists of dedicated people and agencies in California who seek to enhance the general health, as it relates to tobacco, of American Indians. We urge American Indian people and communities to recommit to the traditional sacred use of tobacco, while investigating addictions to commercial tobacco and the harm it causes American Indian people.
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What We Do
- Counter Pro-Tobacco Influences
Conduct an educational campaign in efforts to discontinue the marketing and selling of commercial tobacco products which manipulate Indian culture for profit.
- Assist communities to mobilize to prohibit and/or eliminate tobacco products and promotions, and to address tobacco companies misuse of American Indian icons and exploit the sacred purpose of tobacco.
- Identify businesses in Northern, Central and Southern California and encourage them to reduce the offensive public display of commercial tobacco advertisement, which misuses American Indian icons and symbols.
- Develop educational presentations and media materials through the Countering Commercial Tobacco Committee (CCTC), an AITEP subcommittee to counter pro-tobacco influences that misrepresent American Indians.
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Secondhard Smoke (SHS)
- Conduct an advocacy campaign to persuade Indian casinos in California that are affiliated with the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), to institute Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), or second hand smoke policies aimed at indoor smoking.
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Contents of this Page
Introduction
AITEP's Mission
Who We Are
What We Do
Policies
Did You Know?
For More Information...
AITEP is working to increase organizational policies that address Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) exposure within all 109 federally recognized American Indian tribal communities in California.
We continue mobilization efforts with American Indian communities in both rural and urban areas to assist them in establishing at least one policy change that addresses ETS policies.
We also develop educational materials and promotional items that advertise the California Smokers' Helpline.
AITEP's current contract ends June 30, 2004. AITEP has been awarded a new grant for 3 years' funding extending from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2007.
Note: AITEP will shortly release two documents which will be available on this website. They are:
- Casino Guide
- Countering the Use of American Indian Imagery on Tobacco Products
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Policies
AITEP is available to provide technical assistance to tribes, communities and agencies that serve American Indians and want to develop tobacco policies.
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Did You Know?
For thousands of years, tobacco has had a sacred purpose with many American Indian tribes. It is used for prayer, to show respect, to heal, and give spiritual protection.
Tobacco was never meant to be abused. Sacred use of tobacco does not include the use of commercial tobacco products.
Smoking one or two cigarettes a day is "abuse" and harmful to your health.
American Indians in California smoke and chew commercial tobacco twice as much as other Californians. (1)
40% of American Indian deaths in California are related to commercial tobacco abuse. (2)
Native tobacco and its smoke are effective for curing a number of ailments, including: muscle aches, ear aches, soothes swelling, skin infections, and tooth aches. (3)
1. Hodge, F.S. Prevalence of Smoking/Smokeless Tobacco Use In 18 Northern California American Indian Health Clinics, Volume A, American Indian Cancer Control Project, Berkeley, CA 1994
2. Hodge, F.S., It's Your Life-It's Our Future Stop Smoking Project: A Report ot American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. National Cancer Institute; 1999: 72.
3. Teach Children to Respect Beliefs about Traditional Tobacco Use, AITEP, 2000.
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Want to Quit Smoking?
Contact the Calfiornia Smokers' Helpline, and tell them you heard about the program from the American Indian Tobacco Education Partnership (AITEP):
English: 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887)
TDD/TTY: 1-800-933-4TDD (1-800-933-4833)
Chewing Tobacco: 1-800-844-CHEW (1-800-844-2439)
The California Smokers' Helpline is a telephone program that can help you quit smoking. Helpline services are funded by the California Department of Health Services and are free of charge to you.
When you call, a friendly staff person will offer a choice of services: self-help materials, a referral to other programs, and confidential one-on-one counseling over the phone.
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Reasons to Quit
- To protect your family from secondhand smoke.
- To live a longer life and share your knowledge with coming generations.
- To acknowledge traditional tobacco as a gift from the Creator that should be used only for ceremonies.
- To help guide our people on a path to health, which can begin with your decision to quit today.
- Forty percent of American Indian deaths are from smoking-related causes.
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- Service Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday 9 am to 1 pm. Other times, you'll reach the Helpline's 24 hour voice mail service.
- Anyone in California can call, whether they're currently smoking, have quit, or want information for someone else.
- Counselors are caring professionals, trained in the field of smoking cessation.
- People who receive counseling are twice as likely to stay quit as those who try on their own.
- Many health plans, including Medi-Cal, will pay for your enrolment in a quit smoking program, such as the California Smokers' Helpline. Check with your Indian Clinic to find out if you can get the nicotine patch or Zyban™ as well.
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For More Information...
American Indian
Tobacco Education Partnership AITEP
California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc
4400 Auburn Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95841
Phone: (916) 929-9761
Fax: (916) 929-7246
Michael Weahkee, Director
Michael.Weahkee@ihs.gov
Raul Salazar, B.A., AITEP Program Coordinator
Raul.Salazar@ihs.gov
Shelley Whitebear, Health Education Specialist II
Shelley.Whitebear@ihs.gov
We can protect our people by learning and teaching others about our ways of life.
We are a proud and strong nation.
The American Indian Tobacco Education Partnership is funded by the Tobacco Tax Health Protection Act of 1988-Prop 99, under Grant Number 01-15486
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AITEP
Advisory Committee
The AC Membership is composed of individuals representing the northern, central, and southern regions of California. With their dedication and support along with AITEP, we are able to plan, develop, conduct, and coordinate tobacco education interventions in each of AITEP's priority areas. More specifically, we can address the various components in the work plan. There are seven subcommittees in the areas of Culture and Education, Countering, Casino, Media, Mini-Grant, Policy, and Youth.
First Row: Raychel Tracy, Radley Davis, Charlie Toledo, Ione Star, Jane
Dumas, Virgil Lewis
Second Row: Lucy McKay, Adelina Osario, Juana Brown,
Becky Cuthill, Claradina Toya, Phil Hunter, Kathleen Jack, Vlayn McCovey, Liz Lara
Third Row: Michael Weahkee, Raul Salazar, Bill Leonard,
Mark LeBeau, Judy Strang, Lucinda Albers, John James, Kelli Hubbard
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