Doctors call for nicotine in cigarettes to be reduced

British and American doctors have called on their governments to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels. At the same time the leaders of seven health organisations in the United Kingdom have asked for an overhaul of the current arrangements for testing and regulating the tar, nicotine, and addictive agents in cigarettes.

A report from the American Medical Association's council on scientific affairs in the latest issue of Tobacco Control(1998;7:281-93) recommends that the addictiveness of cigarettes should be reduced within five to 10 years; there should be more research on producing less addictive cigarettes; tobacco products should be labelled more accurately, with a clearer indication of nicotine content; the monitoring of trends in …