State prison will make exception to new ban
Jump to full article: Nevada Appeal, 2009-07-23
Author: Geoff Dornan
Intro: Director of Corrections Howard Skolnik told the Nevada Indian Commission Wednesday he will make an exception to the prison system's new tobacco ban for American Indian religious ceremonies.
Those ceremonies, which conclude with participants smoking a ceremonial pipe, will be allowed to have the limited amount of tobacco needed to share the pipe.
Skolnik said he is aware that will cause some inmates to suddenly develop an interest in sweat lodge ceremonies just to get access to tobacco.
He banned tobacco products from the prison system, for inmates and staff, effective July 1.
“You'll have 100 inmates turn out for the sweat lodge because they can use tobacco there,” he said.
And he said he anticipates that other religious groups in the prison system will want to add a sweat lodge ceremony to their practices.
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