News in Brief Archaeology

People in the Pacific Northwest smoked tobacco long before Europeans showed up

Unearthed pipes reveal the earliest record of nicotine use in the region

drying tobacco leaves

TOBACCO THRIVED  Pipes found in the Pacific Northwest have traces of nicotine from around 1,200 years ago.

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By Jennifer Leman

- More than 2 years ago

Ancient pipes and pipe fragments found at five archaeological sites along the Snake and Columbia rivers in Washington contain evidence of tobacco use, new research shows.