Cultural considerations: ceremonial substance use

Throughout American Indian culture, the ceremonial use of substances has been part of a longstanding tradition. Today, many American Indians still observe traditional ceremonies, and use substances such as tobacco, mushrooms, and peyote. When tackling the problem of substance use disorder, we should consider the differences between these ceremonial substances and mainstream non-Indigenous substances:

• Substances are rarely used outside of ceremonies
• They have a low addictive properties, with very few people actually developing an addiction to the substance
• The tobacco used in ceremonies is natural; commercial tobacco is genetically modified and filled with chemicals to enhance its addictive quality

With this information, we should be careful to not place these ceremonial substances in the same category as other substances that contribute to SUD.