Ex-smoker President Barack Obama has successfully kicked the butt and now, he is keenly focused on making cigarette manufacturers learn a bit of a lesson.

In this regard, a video was released on Thursday for congratulating the US citizens for being part of a countrywide drive with a mission of kicking the butt. Not long ago, President Obama targeted tobacco makers who are fighting hard for graphic labels on cigarette products. The graphic warning and minimum advertising or branding policy was introduced by Obama administration with the intent of warning smokers regarding the threat on offer due to smoking.

Obama said that tobacco is "the leading cause of preventable early deaths in this country", and added that labels were a novel measures aimed at keeping cigarettes away from kids.

He further claimed that it was hard for cigarette makers to digest the policy and hence, they wanted to obstruct them just "because they don't want to be honest about the consequences of using their products. Unfortunately, this isn't surprising".

Last year, the 50-year-old US President kicked the butt with help of nicotine chewing gum and was declared as "tobacco free" during his last physical examination in October.

While expressing his feelings regarding how easy or difficult it is to quit smoking, the President said: "Fact is, quitting smoking is hard. Believe me, I know". He was featured in the video addressing the "Great American Smokeout" meant for helping some of the nation's 46 million smokers to quit.

Earlier last week, an American judge obstructed the verdict which made it mandatory for tobacco makers to display graphic images, which shows ailing body parts due to the effect of smoking, counting images of rotting teeth and dead bodies, on cigarette cartons.