Native cigarettes are cigarettes that are manufactured and sold by indigenous communities. These tobacco products claim to be different from commercially available cigarettes because they use traditional, natural tobacco and feature indigenous imagery on their packaging. While many of these cigarettes are sold online, some retailers also sell them in stores throughout the US and Canada.

The sale of native cigarettes is not without controversy. For example, the state of New York recently sued a Seneca tribal entrepreneur and his company over their manufacture and sales of cigarettes on the reservation. New York state law prohibits the manufacture, transportation, or sale of any cigarette that has not been stamped and taxed on New York state soil.

Understanding Native Smokes: Varieties and Options

This particular dispute was over the sale of a brand of cigarettes known as “Seneca,” manufactured by Grand River. The state claimed that Grand River sold the cigarettes to another company, Native Wholesale, who then smuggled them into New York state for distribution and sale. The cigarettes were not stamped, indicating that they had not been paid New York state taxes.

As a result of this controversy, the federal government has begun to take a harder stance on the production and sales of native cigarettes. While the production of these cigarettes may have some positive economic benefits for some tribes, it also poses serious public health concerns and can negatively impact communities. In addition, these products are often used as a means of promoting smoking and drinking among the target audience. In the past, cigarette companies have used marketing tactics such as native imagery and descriptors such as ‘natural’ and ‘additive-free’ to convince American Indian consumers that modern commercial tobacco is more natural and spiritual than their own. Future research is needed to examine how these marketing techniques and cultural misrepresentations contribute to high rates of commercial tobacco use among American Indians.

Native Cigarettes Canada
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