Utah Conference on Traditional Tobacco

Creating culturally grounded pathways towards commercial tobacco cessation.

Welcome!

Join us and learn more about the cultural significance of traditional tobacco through the insights of leading tribal experts. All participants will learn more about the American Indian/Alaska Native health impact of commercial tobacco use.

This gathering aims to strengthen collaboration among various health systems, community organizations, and tribal leaders across Utah fostering unified and culturally informed strategies to address ongoing efforts in commercial tobacco prevention and control.

Event information

Date and time

Wednesday, February 25, 2026
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location

Uintah Conference Center
313 E 200 S, Vernal, Utah 84078

Traditional tobacco is natural and has no additives. It has deeply woven ties with American Indian/Alaska Native people.

Who is our target audience?

This conference invites everyone from tribal health organizations, public health agencies, alongside youth and elders to expand their knowledge. Everyone of all generations from is invited to join us while we honor traditional teachings of tobacco by looking at it's cultural ties to American Indian/Alaska Native communities here in Utah.

We encourage tribal health providers to join us in strengthening collaboration efforts to address commercial tobacco cessation by sharing resources from various programs and state agencies.

There will be specific tracks for the following:

Tribal health organizations, tribal health providers, and tribal tobacco health educators
Public health education
Tribal Youth in middle to high school (grades 6-12)

This is a free event sponsored by the Office of American Indian/Alaska Native Health & Family Services (IHFS).

What will I learn?

Tribal and public health track objectives

Understand the impact of AI/AN commercial tobacco use with Utah’s tribal health leaders and how this affects the cultural role of traditional tobacco.
Connect with tribal health organizations, clinics, and providers on quit services.
Learn how to create a supportive environment for tobacco cessation policies.
Make connections with Utah's leading tribal experts on traditional tobacco and ways you can further engage with their efforts to weaving community health and wellbeing.

Youth track objectives

Foster leadership skills in advocating for commercial tobacco-free spaces.
Educate community members by clearly distinguishing commercial and traditional tobacco.
Learn from leading tobacco cessation experts and champions for wellness to build refusal skills and ways to better their health and wellbeing.
Connect to available commercial tobacco cessation resources.

See the draft agenda (subject to change)