Prison Smoking Ban Won’t Impact Pipe Ceremonies
Thursday, July 14, 2005 at 14:35
A new smoking ban at federal prisons won’t keep Aboriginal inmates from engaging in pipe or sweetgrass ceremonies, according to a prison official in Prince Albert.
Shawn Bird, the deputy warden at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary, says questions were raised when the Correctional Service of Canada announced it would be restricting tobacco use exclusively to the outdoors.
However, he notes tobacco use for Aboriginal ceremonies is protected under constitutional rules.
He says a committee is studying the issue.
Bird adds changes to the institution’s ventilation system could possibly be made to keep second-hand smoke away from other inmates.