Vaccinations against addiction?

BillieTheBot

I was listening to Radio Four yesterday afternoon and they were discussing the new vaccination against nicotine and how it works.

Now, this raises difficult ethical questions because the doctor on there suggested the possibility that this vaccine could be given to all children along with the usual shots.

It works by killing the nicotine high, so there will be no 'hit' to the cigerettes and thus hopefully no addiction. But, I think its more than that, tobacco is a very habit forming drug, will people who are vaccinated then smoke because they think they cant get addicted?

And, this obviously has remifications for personal freedom, why should we be developing vaccinations against a legal act?

But, given the numbers of people who die from smoking every years and the pain and misery that causes should we not be doing everything we can to stop it?

Would you give your kid this vaccine?

Is this very 'Clockwork Orange'?

Jaded

I think it is a bit too CLockwork Orange. I think you are heading down a very dangerous path when you start innoculating people against free choice.

Former Member

But then, if you had a little kid would you not be tempted to give them the shot knowing how nasty an addiction to tobacco can be?

Its a hard one, thats for sure.

They have been playing with one for cocaine and I think that would be a much better idea, if you took away the hit then people wouldnt use it. With tobacco I'm not sure they would.