They technically do not expire, because cigarettes aren’t “consumed” in the traditional sense, but they are usually bad for you after a while.
Nicotine is one of several lethal chemicals contained in cigarettes. When someone smokes a cigarette, nicotine enters their bloodstream and then binds to that person’s nicotinic receptors, taking over those receptors and causing them to release dopamine that results in nicotine dependence. The average smoker takes 20 mins between puffs until the cigarette burns down below 3/4 of an inch as it’s difficult to inhale smoke from an ember.