Association of smoking status with substance use and psychological distress in Serbia

•Last year alcohol use and frequent drinking are statistically significantly associated with the smoking status.•People who suffer from high psychological distress are twice as likely to be current smokers compared to people who do not.•Average number of smoked cigarettes is highest among frequent binge drinkers and people under high psychological distress.•Smoking is more prevalent among last year cannabis users, but they do not differ according to the assessed level of risk.