Study ties Eastern Cherokee health to per capita payments

Tuesday, May 18, 2010  

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who received per capita payments from the tribe's casino were less likely to abuse alcohol and marijuana, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Tribal members began receiving a share of gaming revenues in 1996. The study tracked Eastern Cherokee youth from 1993 through 2006 and found a link between well-being and the payments.

Tribal youth were better off as adults than older tribal members who did not grow up with the revenues, according to the study. And tribal youth fared "significantly" better as adults than non-Indians, researchers found.

The tribe operates the Harrah's Cherokee Hotel and Casino in western North Carolina.

Get the Story:
Nc American Indians With Casino Income Fare Better (AP 5/18)

Get the Study:
Association of Family Income Supplements in Adolescence With Development of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders in Adulthood Among an American Indian Population (JAMA Vol. 303 No. 19, May 19, 2010)
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