It is expected that by 2012 Australia will be the first country in the world to impose generic packaging on tobacco companies.

At the same time there is a push to force tobacco companies to be more up-font about the content of their products.

There are growing concerns among anti-tobacco campaigners that menthol is increasingly being used as a “mild anaesthetic” to line the throat of a smoker so they cannot feel the full impact of the harmful effects of the tobacco that is being in-hailed.

Menthol could make smoking more addictive and attractive to younger smokers as it has the effect of cooling the throat.

Similarly, according to Professor Simon Chapman of Sydney University, tobacco companies are adding chemicals such as ammonia to their products under the guise of “processing aids”. Ammonia speeds up the rate that nicotine infiltrates the brain which in turn could encourage addition.

Professor Chapman, who was the 2008 NSW Premier’s Cancer Researcher of the Year, said companies ”cover up the secret formula of their brands”. He has urged the federal government to insist that companies show all ingredients contained in their products.

”The real issue here is whether it is sensible to allow tobacco companies to add ingredients that will make tobacco products more palatable to young smokers when they’re first starting off,” he said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: Sydney Morning Herald