The consensus is in: Smoking is bad. Too bad it takes a person to come to the straight dope to figure it out (at least though he took the time to ask)
I’ve had a few smokes in my life; I was surprised how quickly addiction takes hold (although mild in my case) The only reason I tried was to attempt to break into a social group (yeesh and I’m 22). Well at least I have some first hand experience of how stupid it is. I don’t mind the occasional cigar. I think they are less addictive but don’t cite me on that. Do some research. Regardless cigars and cigerettes aren’t good for you and wouldn’t encourage either.