Anti-tobacco virus

SciBlogs (US) reports that gene therapy for tobacco addiction may be around the corner. Code a virus to produce an antibody that neutralizes nicotine, inject, and there's no longer any buzz from smoking. Apparently the tests in mice have worked.

A couple of thoughts:

An injectable treatment available as a choice for smokers who wish to quit has to be good.

The availability of such a choice also makes more desirable a strategy of "I'll smoke 'till I'm 25, enjoy being cooler than other people, and then take the treatment before I do any long-term damage." Just as barriers to exit are barriers to entry, things that facilitate exit also facilitate entry in a rational addiction model. This doesn't bother me, but it might bother others.

It's hard to imagine the vaccine being made mandatory. But what happens when some fanatic decides to build it into something that can be spread by sneezing? Lower vaccine distribution costs than injection. But egads.