Forgive me guys this is gonna be long.
I read an article in a veterinary journal a year or so ago and it was talking about snakes lungs and how they work. Snakes don't have a diaphragm so they breathe in and out differently than we do. A lot of their lung tissue does not absorb oxygen. Their lungs are a lot like a turkey baster the front part nearest their heat would be the open end and the "bulb" would be towards their tail. The only part that is used in oxygen exchange is the part near their head. The other 2/3 (or so) of their lungs are used to push the air in and out.
Given the fact that their lungs are not as good at oxygen exchange as ours I would say that smoke (of any kind) or chemicals/aerosols in the air is worse for them than us. However on the other hand their metabolic need for oxygen is MUCH lower than ours so it may even out?
Another thing that was in the article (what they where actually testing) was that ball pythons lungs have the ability to heal just as ours do. They where taking biopsies of the lungs and going back to check the area where they removed tissue a year later. What they found was that the area healed entirely and was doing oxygen exchange again.
For me personally, if I still smoked I would not do so around my snakes. I even trained my cat to go outside and use the potty like the dogs so the ammonia smell from her urine would not effect the snakes. But I still firmly believe that you have the right to smoke in your home around your animals if so wish.
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