Nontraditional use of tobacco is a major spiritual, cultural, and health concern for Aboriginal people across Canada. Community studies of Aboriginal people have shown elevated rates of smoking. Smoking is not only associated with increased health risk, but also appears to play a role in the abuse of other chemicals. The purpose of this study was to look at tobacco use and related substance abuse for clients in Aboriginal addiction centers across Canada. Addiction Treatment Centers, alarmed at the rate of smoking among its clients, requested a profile of smoking behaviors as a starting point for developing nonsmoking policies within its facilities. Two hundred and forty-six clients from fifteen Aboriginal addiction treatment centers across Canada were questioned about nicotine-related behavior. More than three quarters of respondents described themselves as smokers, and close to 12 percent claimed to be ex-smokers. Individuals also admitted to polydrug use, many starting very young. Typically, cigarettes and alcohol were the first chemicals used. Smokers and nonsmokers differed in age to initiation to alcohol; in addition, males and females differed in reasons for beginning to smoke and reasons for wanting to quit. Many clients reported that they were not aware of cultural teaching pertaining to tobacco. Implications for prevention, treatment, and policies are discussed.

Previous studies have shown that abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene are involved in pulp maturation and peel coloration in the nonclimacteric citrus fruits. There are also signs indicating that other plant hormones may play some roles in citrus fruit ripening. In this study, we compared profiles of genome-wide gene expression and changes in hormones and peel pigments between fruits of Shatangju mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco, designated WT) and its natural mutant, Yuenongwanju (designated MT). The MT fruit matures ~2 months later than the WT fruit. Significant differences in fruit diameter, total soluble solids, titratable acid content, chlorophylls and carotenoids were detected between the fruits of the two genotypes at the sampled time points. Genome-wide transcriptome profiling showed that many genes involved in auxin and ABA metabolism and/or signaling pathways were differentially expressed between the MT and the WT fruits. Importantly, the expression of CrYUCCA8 was significantly lower and the expression of CrNCED5 was significantly higher in WT than in MT fruits at 230 and 250 DPA, respectively. In addition, the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) level in the MT fruit was significantly higher than that in the WT counterpart, whereas a significantly lower level of ABA was detected in the mutant. Treatment of the WT fruit with exogenous IAA significantly delayed fruit maturation. Our results provide experimental evidence supporting the notion that auxin is a negative regulator of fruit maturation in citrus.