Washington, June 23 (Reuters): President Barack Obama may have just made life more difficult for cigarette makers, but he is not above sneaking a smoke every now and again.

Obama, who has publicly struggled to quit smoking, said he still hasn’t completely kicked the habit even after signing a law this week that will likely set tough new rules for the tobacco industry.

“As a former smoker I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No,” Obama said at a news conference.

“I don't do it in front of my kids, I don’t do it in front of my family. I would say that I am 95 per cent cured, but there are times where I mess up,” he said. The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products.