Senator Barack Obama Admits Smoking Cigarettes in Last Few Months

Published on July 29, 2008 4:42 AM

Senator Barack Obama has fallen off the wagon and smoked cigarettes in the last few months. The presumptive Democratic nominee has been open about his smoking past – once a heavy smoker he publicly quitted the habit, per his wife’s request. Since giving up, Obama has mentioned in the past that he has “fallen off the wagon”. Obama said of the last time he has smoked: “Months.”

Obama regularly chewed Nicorette while not at campaign events, and the recent doctor’s note from his primary visit indicated that it has brought him a significant level of success.

David L. Scheiner, M.D. wrote in a letter released to reporters: “His own history included intermittent cigarette smoking. He has quit this practice on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success.”

The release of a scant one-page summary for 21 years of care had some criticism to the Obama campaign, comparing to the thousands of pages of medical records released by McCain. Obama promised that if there are additional health-related questions, his campaign would make that information available. He said: “In terms of additional records, if there are particular things that people have questions about, then we’d be happy to give that information.”