The Dangers of Smoking Smoking has a very negative impact on people's health and causes serious long- and short-term health problems for both smokers and non-smokers. The act of smoking began centuries ago. Today, many people still smoke knowing that it can lead to serious health problems and possibly even death. Smoking has been around since the beginning of time. It is unclear how the practice of smoking arose, but it is certain that the ancient Maya and Aztecs of Central America smoked tobacco. Before cigarettes were invented, tobacco was consumed by chewing, in pipes, in cigars and even ground into powder for sniffing. The first cigarettes were rolled by hand, until the United States invented automatic cigarette rolling machines. This allowed smoking to spread even more rapidly around the world than before. In the 16th century, tobacco was also used for medical purposes. Even though tobacco was used for medical purposes, doctors did not support the idea of ​​using it for smoking. When the dangers of smoking were discovered, many countries passed anti-smoking laws. In the United States, the federal law on cigarette labeling and advertising was passed. This law was passed because of the Surgeon General's report which stated that smoking causes lung cancer and other deadly diseases. Smoking was also banned in twelve American states, but people ignored the laws. Many people started smoking at an early age. “Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 smokers start smoking before the age of 18” (“Smoking” 1). There are many reasons why people start smoking. Some people start smoking to fit in. They may have friends who smoke and will feel left out if they don't smoke with... middle of paper... children who aren't exposed to secondhand smoke. Wheezing and coughing are more common in children who breathe secondhand smoke. They also have severe and frequent asthma attacks that can be life-threatening. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 40% of children who go to the emergency room for asthma live with smokers. Secondhand smoke can also cause the development of asthma in children without a history of asthma. Children who live with smokers may also get more ear infections and often have to undergo surgery to drain the fluid built up in the ears. Knowing that smoking can cause health problems not only for smokers, but also for non-smokers, people still risk their lives by starting it. Quitting smoking can be a very long and difficult process. It's best not to start considering all the damage it can cause to your health.