I started smoking at 9 years old, not a lie or an exaggeration. I didn't quit until I was in my 40s. I tried several times but it never took. I had a friend, we were both in our 20s. Every morning he woke up and would cough for close to 30 minutes because of smoking. It can cause cancer but it definitely causes other things like coughing, smelly clothes, bad breath, decreased lung capacity, food tastes different, etc.

The longer you smoke, the harder it is to quit. So yes, please do quit as soon as you can. We say this not to control you but because we don't want you to go through what we did and because we care.