How important is smoking and cigarettes in your culture?

In Slovakia, where I am from, and in a large section of Europe, smoking is very common and is regarded as part of the culture. I always thought that it was similar in the US (for example, I remember watching the film Rambo with some friends when we were teenagers, and that film had a lot of smoking), but then I learned that it is actually not very common compared to Europe and is much more frowned upon especially in public. In Europe, it is very easy to buy them and smoke them, they cost a few euro and you can smoke them outside anywhere, in most train stations, in some bars, etc but in the US you cannot smoke indoors at all? Also, kids and teenagers smoke a lot, because the age to buy cigarettes is usually very low (16 or 18, and many of the vendors do not check for Id if you “look old enough” or will accept that you are “buying for parents” (since everyone smokes) even if it is an obvious lie. I was shocked to learn that there was actually a big controversy about the amount of smoking in Rango, and that places like California and nyc have strictly enforced minimum smoking ages of 21 and packs cost 10-15$. To summarise, how much of a cultural impact (how common is it, do people think it is cool or just a smelly waste of money) does smoking have, what are the laws, and how much and how young do teenagers smoke? Do their friends tell them to do so a lot? Also, if you smoke, what started it?