Smoking is a practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco, is burned and the smoke tasted or inhaled.

This is primarily done as a form of recreational drug use, as consuming releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them available for absorption through the lungs.

It can also be done in the manner that a part of rituals, to induce trances and spiritual enlightenment. The most common method of smoking today is through cigarettes, either industrially manufactured or rolled with loose tobacco stop smoking and a rolling paper.

Other forms, though not as common, are pipes, cigars, hookahs and bongs. Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use.

Tobacco smoking is today by far the most popular form of smoking and is practiced by over one billion people in the majority of all human societies.

Less common drugs for smoking include cannabis and opium. Most drugs that are smoked are considered to be addictive. Some of the substances are classified as hard narcotics, like heroin and craze cocaine, but the use of these is usually limited to socially marginalized groups.