Understanding the Differences: Native Smokes vs. Regular Tobacco Products
Tobacco plays an important role in most indigenous populations, making it crucial to understand its sacred use from commercial use.
American Indian countries have been using traditional tobacco for many years in varieties of natural tobacco products that vary across tribes and regions.
Unlike commercial, native smoke doesn’t have additives and the same threats to the environment and public health as commercial tobacco. Plus, the tobacco sector doesn’t market or manufacture them.
Understanding Native Tobacco
American Indian communities consider tobacco plans to be sacred gifts and use them for medicinal and spiritual purposes.
It is crucial to note that these communities are diverse and consist of many nations and tribes, all with a unique relationship and history with tobacco.
Although ingredients and methods vary across indigenous communities, native wholesale smokes are hand-prepared carefully and provided respectfully for ceremony, prayer, and healing.
When used for medicinal purposes or in ceremonies, traditional tobacco products aren’t linked with adverse health effects or addiction.
Understanding Commercial Tobacco
Companies manufacture commercial tobacco for habitual and recreational use. They mostly use it in hookahs, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco, cigars, and e-cigarettes, to name a few.
Commercial products are sold and mass-manufactured to make a profit. They contain many chemicals and produce more than 7k chemical compounds if burned. Most of these are carcinogenic, causing premature death and heart disease.
Nicotine in commercial products causes immediate stimulation among users, accompanied by depression. Apart from addiction, nicotine also causes health issues:
- Increasing blood pressure
- Constricting blood vessels
- Accelerating heart rate
- Minimizing oxygen supply to our body tissues
Key Differences
It is important to understand the key differences between commercial and traditional products when dealing with American Indians.
Some of them use native tobacco every day, weekly, monthly, and yearly for harvest or planting season. So, it is important to respect other people’s customs and beliefs.
But before you go for any product at a nearby online shop, you need to understand the differences between the two forms of tobacco. Here are the key factors that can help you understand the differences between the two:
1. Chemical Content
As mentioned previously, both commercial and native tobacco have nicotine plus other chemicals. However, you will find more substances in commercials. This is because they are often grown and manufactured using pesticides, fertilizers, and additives. So, you better review the product’s label first to examine the chemical content.
2. Impacts
This depends on the amount of chemicals or nicotine you take in. However, the commercial or native tobacco potency you use also comes into play. Some products are stronger than others, so consider this when choosing a product.
3. Aroma
Unlike traditional tobacco, commercial products have additives that give them an aroma. Therefore, smoking any commercial product variety always produces a different flavour.
4. Appearance
If you look at both products, you will notice they don’t look the same. Commercial products come with better packaging. A good example is a cigarette that looks classy. However, some traditional products are at par by judging from how they look.
In conclusion, it is important to note that traditional tobacco is important in indigenous communities and cultures. It serves as a way of countering a high rate of commercial product use and smoking that, in turn, causes illnesses among American Indian people.
