Do I need to quit smoking?

I am not a really big smoker, but waiting for the approval for the surgery has turned me into a chimney! I don't have my surgery daty yet, how long should I quit before surgery? I am sure that they longer I don't smoke, the better, but what is the requirement?

We greatly appreciate your interest in helping us build our Q&A database. To discourage vandals from posting garbage, however, we require people to register before posting.