How does smoking cause sharp pain in back of throat?

In my younger days, I used to ignore that sharp burning in my throat and keep smoking, which was a very foolish mistake. That pain is your body's clear warning that the hot smoke is burning and damaging your windpipe. Once I quit, the pain went away completely and never came back.

Oh god, sharp throat pain from smoking makes me so anxious because it can be a sign of chronic damage or severe vocal cord irritation. Please don't try to just tolerate it or wait for it to go away on its own. It is much safer to get it examined by a proper doctor right away to be sure.

I agree with the others; the hot chemical smoke directly burns the sensitive tissues back there. Getting it checked by an ENT is the safest thing to do.

I had this exact same sharp pain in the back of my throat last year when I was smoking heavily during a cold. It felt like needles every time I swallowed, so I had to stop smoking completely and consult a doctor who gave me specific antibiotics. For me, quitting the habit was the only real way to get rid of that pain.