well, there are many myths about smoking, but let’s face it: it’s bad for you. Now the reasons it is bad can be split into two categories: biological and psycho-social.
As far as the biological damage is concerned, cigars are supposed to be healthy because you don’t inhale (as long as you really don’t inhale), even though you could actually get mouth cancer from that too. Also tobacco (what I used to do) has less tar, but far more nicotine, meaning that yes, you have slightly fewer chances of getting cancer, but you’re even more addicted, and it’s just as bad for your heart and other parts of your body. Plus the research looks at the tobacco and not the paper your roll it in, which often has lots of tar, especially on the gum. There is a thing called a bio-filter, which seriously reduces the harmful effects of smoking, but most people I’ve talked to say it also takes away most of the taste anyway. And yes, lights/slims etc aren’t really any healthier than normal cigarettes and they taste like straws.
As far as the psycho-social effects of smoking are concerned, it really makes no difference. Tobacco is even more addictive than filters, smoking is all in your mind, everything (especially manufactured cigarettes) stinks, and you get yellow fingernails, burnt lips and, in some cases, a yellowish beard that you could easily set on fire. I’ve even burnt my hair a couple of times.
I guess the least harmful way of smoking is the pipe, but then again that’s so much work that it’s not really worth it unless you’re a ship’s captain with nothing better to do (I tried it for about a month and then gave up, still confused about how to light one properly).