Menthol ciggies more addictive - study

Far from being a harmless flavouring agent, menthol cigarettes are more addictive than others, a study has found.

This is because menthol enables nicotine to permeate more quickly into the mouth, speeding up the addictive effect of smoking, the Dows Institute of Dental Research, in Iowa City, United States, has found.

The results of the study were published in the Oxford University Press journal, Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

While some governments have acted to ban fruit and other flavourings seen as attractive to young people, nothing has been done about menthol, says Anne Jones, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health Australia.

"The tobacco industry has portrayed menthol as a harmless flavouring agent - this study shows it's much more than that," she said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We must now question why the tobacco industry has so aggressively promoted menthol cigarettes to women, and whether they're still doing it."

Ms Jones has called on cigarette companies, including British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, to reveal what they know about the use of menthol in cigarettes to make some brands more addictive to women in particular.

"In the US, tobacco companies must supply the government with detailed information on what they spend on all forms of advertising and promotion," she said.

"Our government should require the same."

- AAP