The major new study involved seven nations and the New Zealand research was led by Prof Andre van Rij and Dr Greg Jones, co-directors of the University of Otago Vascular Research Group.
Data gathered from subjects in Otago and Southland formed part of the research.
"The bottom line is that, regardless of whether you have the genetic variation or not, you should not smoke,'' Dr Jones said.
In either case, "smoking remains a huge risk factor for cardiovascular and lung disease''.
The study, just published in the international journal Nature, found the genetic variation or genotype was far more common among heavy smokers.
Nearly half of Caucasian New Zealanders have some form of the genetic variation or genotype.
Receptors in the brain that were activated by nicotine appeared to be more active in people with this genetic variation, he said.
Consequently, they had a greater tendency to become addicted to smoking.
"Inheriting this one factor means they face a double whammy. Not only are they more likely to be heavier smokers but their risk of lung cancer also increases by 18% and their risk of arterial disease goes up by 10%.
"We really are very excited. It's a significant step forward in a field that's moving very rapidly,'' he said.
The research had opened up "a whole raft of possibilities'' in terms of better understanding the genetics of addictive behaviour, and being able to better analyse the addiction and disease risks of individuals.
Better understanding the biology of nicotine addiction could also provide targets for intervention by potential medicines to counter the addictions, he said.
The Vascular Research Group supplied information from nearly 1000 case and control subjects from the Otago-Southland region.
The overall study used information gathered from 3700 people with either lung cancer or arterial disease and a further 30000 disease-free control subjects.