how many cigarettes a day is safe

There is no safe number of cigarettes to smoke per day. Even smoking just one cigarette daily significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and overall mortality. Research shows that smoking one cigarette per day carries about half the cardiovascular risk of smoking 20 cigarettes per day, which is much higher than a simple proportional reduction. Cutting down is not enough; complete cessation is necessary to reduce health risks substantially.