President Obama Signs Tough Anti-Smoking Bill into Law

Right before signing what is widely considered to be the toughest anti-smoking law in the nation’s history, President Barack Obama noted that he regretted every picking up a cigarette in the first place – something he did while just a teenager. The president lauded the new law, which gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a great deal of authority to regulate what goes into cigarettes and other tobacco products and to further prohibit tobacco advertising campaigns that appear to be aimed at children and teenagers.

Obama was less forthcoming with regard to his own, well-publicized struggle with cigarettes, though in the past Obama has often admitted to having "fallen off the wagon" in his quest to stop smoking for good. Said his wife, Michelle, "I hate it. That’s why he doesn’t do it any more, I’m proud to say. I outed him – I’m the one who outed him on the smoking. That was one of my prerequisites for, you know, entering this race is that, you know, he couldn’t be a smoking president." As it turns out, Obama is exactly that, though it’s clear from the lack of answers from aides that no one is really going to admit that he’s still smoking, even if only from time to time, and Obama is careful to keep his habit largely hidden from the media and other onlookers.

During the bill signing yesterday, Obama was quick to point out that he was especially gratified that the new law would help keep future generations from picking up the habit. It has been found that about 90% of people who smoke began doing so at the age of 18 or younger. Said Obama, "I know. I was one of those teenagers. And so I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it’s been with you for a long time."