There's good reason for concern over at the Cancer Council of Victoria. The organization facilitated a research involving 3,000 regular smokers and the data extracted showed interesting results.

The study showed that about 95 percent of the respondents have wrong perceptions regarding the normal range of smoking in terms of volume and frequency. Also revealed was the fact that people had the tendency to overestimate the habit, leading them to think that smoking is prevalent and common.

That kind of thinking alarms Cancer Council of Victoria executive director Todd Harper. "If people mistakenly believe smoking is a normal behaviour this might undermine the serious health consequences of smoking and lead some to think it is a relatively harmless habit," he says.

Most of the respondents were aged 18 to 29, exactly the age group regarded by the tobacco industry as their main movers. Having these people feel that smoking is well within the bounds of what is considered normal makes it easier to get them in the loop to start a habit.

"If young people think smoking is common amongst their peers they are less likely to understand the health risks of smoking and more likely to be influenced by a marketing savvy tobacco industry," concludes Harper.