Health | Ban on menthol in cigarettes is urged

Australia will be urged to ban or reduce heavily menthol in cigarettes if the US recommends a crackdown on the cigarettes.

A 12-member US panel is considering whether menthol makes smoking more addictive, and its findings could spell disaster in Australia for Alpine cigarettes and imported brands such as Kool, Virginia Slims and Salem.

Anti-tobacco campaigners argue that menthol coats the throat with a ''mild anaesthetic'' and encourages young people, especially women, to take up smoking.