The Sleeper Effect

This CNN article tells us that even trying just one cigarette can lead to smoking later in life, because of the "sleeper effect" that the cigarette's myriad of chemical substances have on the chemistry of our brains and bodies:

Trying just one cigarette may not be so harmless for non-smokers after all.

Scientists have discovered that a single cigarette has a "sleeper effect" that can increase a person's vulnerability for three years or more to becoming a regular smoker.

"We know that progression from experimenting with one cigarette to being a smoker can take several years," said Jennifer Fidler of University College London.

"But for the first time we've shown that there may be a period of dormancy between trying cigarettes and becoming a regular smoker -- a 'sleeper effect' or vulnerability to nicotine addition," she added.
...
"The results also indicate that prior experimentation is a strong predictor of taking up smoking later," said Fidler, who reported the findings in the journal Tobacco Control on Thursday.

The scientists are not sure why a single cigarette has such an impact but they said the exposure to nicotine could change pathways in the brain which could make children more vulnerable to stress or depression, which can make them more likely to try it again.

The first cigarette could also remove fears about getting caught or how to smoke, which would have prevented them from taking up the habit.

Quite scary if you ask me.

Kids, be safe. Don't try. Not even once. It's for your own good.