Here is a reprint of a letter I wrote to Lawrence Shorty.
             Anyone who uses tobacco for ceremonial purposes
                  should contact the Natural Tobacco People.
           The whole natural tobacco they provide is reasonably
                            priced and wonderful to use.
                  They have our full and unqualified support.
                                                                  James and Bernie BlueWolf

The Native Tobacco People,
POB 40744,
Albuquerque, NM  87196.
Attn. Lawrence Shorty
 
Halito Lawrence,
                The Elders that I communicate with are very appreciative of this 'natural' tobacco
because it is not a commercial product.  Everyone in our family uses it in our pipe mixtures, our
offerings and for Morning Tobacco.
                It isn't grown, prepared, mixed with chemicals and additives, packaged, advertised
and marketed as a consumer product. The spirit of the Tobacco has not been altered for profit,
neither is it offered for day to day use.  The type of familiarity that comes with cigarettes or
cigars causes the user to have less respect for the power of the herb, for its true and intended
purposes among many traditional Indin Peoples.  The regular use and abuse of tobacco
diminshes the relationship between this spiritually prescribed herb and our People.    It causes
our young people to become addicted to using the herb disrespectfully, and without regard for
the effects of many of the additives and chemicals blended in smoking brands.
                Many of the Elders recognize the debilitating effects of regular tobacco use on our
People today to be as similar in its destructive power as alcohol and drug abuse are.  They
have lost loved ones to its misuse and many of them are suffering today from decades of
tobacco sickness.
                To see the plant in its natural and unaltered form gives them a sense of wholeness
they can not get from commercially packaged tobacco products no matter how 'natural' or
'ethnic' the brand names may be.  To get an old twist or a bag of your tobacco is something
they sincerely appreciate.
               In our morning ceremonies, the feel of whole tobacco in one's hand is much more
real and satisfying then unrolling cigarettes or taking from a pouch or can.  In this world of
carded, catalogued and packaged-  having access to a natural product is genuinely pleasing.
               Today our People suffer from many forms of addiction and dependency.  Your
natural tobacco can be an important and necessary traditional and spiritual tool to reduce
tobacco dependency among our youth, provide a substitute for commercial products for
ceremonial use and educate our people to the destructive and debilitating effects of the use of
tobacco products offered by the commercial tobacco industry.  Respect is a word we use a
lot.  A real and natural respect for the true intended purpose of Tobacco in our lives is an
important value for our children to learn.  Thanks for your efforts.
                                                     James and Bernie BlueWolf