These days, the term smoking is generally associated with smoking a cigarette or a cigar. However, since 5000 BC this practice has been around. It existed mainly in African and Indian cultures as rituals in various ceremonies. Over the years it has developed from originally natural plant stems and leaves to pipes to now handy and simple cigarettes.

The main reason for a person to smoke is the short-lived good feeling that it gives the smoker. The substance behind this may change but tobacco is the most common substance. Tobacco comes from the leaves of the plants belonging to the species Nicotiana. Smokers find tobacco addictive and relish it because of a chemical called nicotine. In addition to this, marijuana is also used,; commonly flavored with tobacco or herbal fruits.

An increasing amount of youth start smoking at ages as young as 18 and continue smoking into their adulthood. This growth in recent years can be associated with the attractive advertisements of mainly cigarettes. Developing countries account for the most smoking teenagers due to the lack of awareness of the health risks associated with smoking.

As a result of long periods of smoking, the chemicals in the tobacco smoke deposit on the lungs, with time, turning into a tumour, leading to lung cancer. Smoking is the main cause for majority of lung cancer deaths. The rapid growth in the number of deaths due to smoking related lung cancer has to lead to many campaigns to stop smoking. Even packets of cigarettes now hold health warnings claiming that smoking is harmful to health.

Smoking has been banned in certain countriesin public areas to get people to stop smoking. In airports, special smoking rooms are allocated for smoking persons. These attempts are to not only stop smoking people of the habit, but to cut down the number of passive smokers. Passive smokers suffer a greater risk as they do not have the advantage of the filter found in almost all cigarettes. This has resulted in many protests by passive smokers to stop smoking, not only in public areas, but to stop smoking in general.

It could be said that the campaign to stop smoking is growing as fast as the tobacco industry. Things like nicotine patches, and various types of treatments are being used to help people quit the habit and stopping smoking. Usually it takes a heavy smoker a few years to stop smoking completely, but with the help of these instruments the period taken to stop smoking can be much quicker.