Barack Obama Signature Habit: 7 References to President's Smoking Addiction

Maybe there is no Barack Obama signature on smoking, but it still doesn’t mean he isn’t addicted to nicotine. The smoking question has haunted the president before and during his presidency.

Here are seven references over the years to his smoking or nicotine addiction:


1. It was a year away from the 2008 presidential election when reports surfaced that then-Sen. Obama had quit smoking but was relying on nicotine gum to kick the habit. He had been chewing on the gum for nine months when the package label only recommended using it for three months. Observers now wondered if he could kick the nicotine gum habit.

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2. In the second month of Obama’s presidency, first lady Michelle Obama announced that the president hadn’t had a cigarette in almost a year.

3. Oops, his bad. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs stated Obama was still struggling to give up cigarettes in June 2009. This was right after the president praised the move by Congress to put tobacco under control of the Food and Drug Administration with stricter regulations.

4. Although the president frequently tried to avoid questions on his smoking, his official physical in 2010 revealed he hadn’t kicked the habit. Obama was in excellent health, but the doctor recommended he continue his efforts with smoking cessation. Obama admitted he was still sneaking a puff now and then, but avoided doing it publicly.

5. Rumors about Obama’s nicotine addiction continued to nag him. In August 2011, New York magazine asked in a headline, “Is Obama Still Chewing Nicorette Gum Over Four Years Later?” The question referred to the Barack Obama signature addiction to nicotine gum during his presidential campaign.

6. A video of an Obama discussion in 2013 has him saying he hadn’t had a cigarette in about six years. He told a friend he was “scared of my wife” and gave it up. However, Obama could still be seen chewing on nicotine gum in the White House, according to The Hill.

7. Obama’s apparent addiction to nicotine replacement gum prompted an open letter to the president from John R. Polito, pro bono director of WhyQuit. “Forgive me, but after hearing you confirm on September 23, 2013 that ‘I chew Nicorette gum’ … I’ve bitten my lip long enough.” Polito then went on to describe how nicotine replacement therapy and Nicorette are ineffective and cost lives.

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