Today we see no country where there is not a certain percentage of people who smoke. The trend has spread widely over the years across the world. Smoking is a trend that did not start in recent years but its history dates back to early 5026 BC Surprisingly, at first it was only used for medicinal purposes as opium was believed to have some medical properties. (History of Smoking) One of the reasons behind this wide spread of smoking is the portrayal of smoking in films and television, without a doubt, this has encouraged people to smoke and created the concept in young and immature minds that it "looks cool "when you smoke. Smoking leads to many types of cancer and other terrible diseases. Tobacco smokers are very likely to switch to more potent drugs. Many cigarette companies managed to get space to advertise their products on television, but with the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, television advertisements for cigarette companies were banned. Smoking is a harmful practice which, even if carried out by individuals on their own initiative, affects the surrounding environment and therefore should be prohibited. Ever since people started smoking, researchers have been looking for its negative effects on the human body. Fritz Lickint, in 1929, presented formal statistical evidence that cigarette smoking leads to lung cancer. This sparked a movement in Nazi Germany, which was strongly against smoking. Since smoking is considered the main cause of cancer, there are several types that can attack a human being at any time during the smoking period. The most common cancer that traps people is called lung cancer. Today, approximately 90% of lung cancers are due to tobacco use. According to the CDC's Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet, s...... middle of document ......ute of Health Research, nd Web. March 29, 2014. "History of Smoking." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, March 30, 2014. Web. March 31, 2014. Pilat, Kasia. "Hollywood and Smoking: A Brief History" Pastemagazine.com. Paste Media Group June 23, 2010. Web. March 31, 2014. .Conard, Melissa. "Lung Cancer Stages, Treatment, Types, Survival, Symptom Statistics - MedicineNet." MedicineNet. Np, 12 March 2013. Web. 05 April 2014. http://www.medicinenet.com/lung_cancer/article.htmAustoni, Mirone E. "Harms of smoking". Harms of Smoking and the Health Benefits of Quitting - National Cancer Institute, December 1, 2011. Web. 2014. .