will mean that Barack Obama will not be able to have his occasional cigarette

The American government has been toying with the idea for some time of banning smoking in the military. This would mean that serving soldiers would be forbidden from using tobacco when they were on duty in war zones and on any government military property. Just recently however the Pentagon decided against the smoking ban policy because they felt that preventing tobacco in combat zones would put some of the troops under even more pressure than they were already.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates described smoking as "one of the few outlets....to relieve stress" for some soldiers and that banning it would add to stress levels. In fact the number of soldiers who smoke is considerably higher than normal civilians and in times of war smoking increases even further.

The Pentagon however has not completely ruled out making combat zones smoking free in the future but has shelved the plans for now. Possibly in the near future a policy where all new recruits are prevented from smoking at physical training camps could help them to get used to the idea of no tobacco when on duty.

Many soldiers start off smoking only in stressful combat related situations but soon become used to having the odd cigarette to calm down unaware that they are probably putting their lives in more danger by smoking than by being in combat. In the long term this is very dangerous because when they return to normal civilian life they find it hard to quit completely and they develop hardened smoking habits.

So many smokers become addicts by accident. What starts off as a casual cigarette soon develops into a fully developed addiction which ends up causing serious health complications and in the long term an early death.

Incidentally if smoking is banned in the military technically that will mean that Barack Obama will not be able to have his occasional cigarette as he is Commander in Chief of the American Armed Forces

Never underestimate the habit forming powers of the occasional casual cigarette!