The Politics of Smoking...and Quitting

It's important for our public officials to take an aggressive stand against tobacco, with the dangers it presents to human life becoming more apparent with every passing day. Senator Barack Obama has been a smoker off and on for years,smoking cessation, but has chosen to launch his bid for the United States presidency in 2008 as a smoke free man. He chose nicotine gum as a quit aid, saying that because his smoking habit was 10 or less cigarettes a day, and often no more than four or five,Herbal cigarettes, he thought the nicotine patch might be too strong for him. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune earlier this month, Senator Obama stated: "I've never been a heavy smoker; I've quit periodically over the last several years. I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I don't succumb. I've been chewing Nicorette strenuously."In many ways, smoking cessation is a personal journey, and I appreciate the difficulty of having to undertake this task with the eyes of the world watching. I applaud Sen. Obama for his efforts to quit smoking and set a good example for the rest of us.Read the Chigago Tribune StoryA Profile of U.S. Senator Barack Obama of IllinoisQuit Smoking Aids:Nicotine Patch FactsSmoking Cessation Aids - Know Your ChoicesHelp - I'm Addicted to Nicotine Gum!Image courtesy of U.S. Senate