# Less tar in the first half of a cigarette?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-tar-in-the-first-half-of-a-cigarette/219637>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 17, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-tar-in-the-first-half-of-a-cigarette/219637 "2003-12-17T22:58:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![whatmove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecc23a/32.png) [@whatmove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatmove)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-tar-in-the-first-half-of-a-cigarette/219637/1 "2003-12-17T22:58:09Z")

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Seems to me that a percentage of tar generated by burned tobacco in a cigarette would deposit on the unsmoked tobacco behind it, giving the tobacco near the filter a higher level of tar than tobacco at the open end. Is twice-baked tar more harmful than first-generation? If so, is the second half of a cigarette significantly more harmful than the first?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-tar-in-the-first-half-of-a-cigarette/219637/2 "2003-12-17T23:12:02Z")

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I’m not sure if the twice-bakedness of it makes it more harmful (although it is possible, if being subjected to further heating breaks it down into a different blend of chemicals), but it is certainly true that tar liberated from the burning end is deposited on the tobacco as the smoke is drawn through it and I can’t see any reason why this, or most of it, wouldn’t be liberated again as the cigarette burns down.

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**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/less-tar-in-the-first-half-of-a-cigarette/219637/3 "2003-12-17T23:15:49Z")

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I have to agree. When smoking a joint, it’s very obvious that a lot of tar is captured in the roach.

The roach is definitely more potent than the rest of the joint.