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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2001

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Center in Bethel has partnered with the Mayo Clinic to help Alaska Natives kick their additions to iqmik.

In Yup'ik culture, iqmik is a mixure of tobacco and the ash of a fungus that grows in the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta. Natives in the region have been using iqmik for an undetermined time, as tobacco was brought to the region in the 1700s.

A particular focus of the partnership is pregnant woman who use iqmik and the effects on babies.

Using iqmik is almost like freebasing tobacco, according to a center researcher. Iqmik is typically chewed.

Get the Story:
Iqmik immersion (The Anchorage Daily News 11/20)