The Politics of Smoking...and Quitting
Sunday February 18, 2007
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, 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, 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 Story
A Profile of U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois
Quit Smoking Aids:
- Smoking Cessation Aids - Know Your Choices
Comments
I hope Senator Obama succeeds in quitting. Smoking is a major turnoff. It sure is ugly! Anyone who thinks that smoking is a turnoff for some voters is right. America has learned the hard way that electing an ex-drug addict was the hugest mistake ever. I am not at all inclined to vote for a drug addict. Some people try to compare tobacco to coffee and tea, but tobacco is many times deadlier and more addictive. Coffee does not cause sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, or cancer in bystanders. Neither does tea. Drinking tea doesn’t stink up the room or people’s clothes. And you don’t need a lighter to drnk coffee or tea. I will vote for a non-smoker.