Editorial: Kicking the habit

Monday, July 10, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.

In the wake of a recent federal report showing that secondhand smoke significantly increases the chance of lung cancer and other diseases in nonsmokers, scientists say that a vaccine may be the next weapon in the arsenal of aids to help people stop smoking.

According to a story by The New York Times last week, University of California researchers and those from eight other institutions said they are working on a vaccine that would block the sensations that sate a nicotine addiction by preventing nicotine molecules from reaching the brain.

In May the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved sale of a smoking-cessation pill - Chantix - which has a similar blocking effect on the nicotine sensation and also reduces cravings in people who are trying to quit.

Smoking cessation treatments are a $1 billion-a-year business, and some may say that new drugs are simply new ways to financially exploit people who lack self-discipline. But, as The Times reports, although 70 percent of smokers say they would like to quit, most fail.

And these failures hurt everyone. A June report by U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona says that nonsmokers who breathe secondhand smoke have dramatically increased risks of heart disease and lung cancer. Children who live with smokers, Carmona said, also are more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory ailments, ear infections and asthma. And smoking-related illnesses cost the health care system $167 billion annually.

While Carmona's report has further fueled the efforts by groups that call for banning smoking in every conceivable venue, it seems a more permanent and comprehensive solution would be offering better aids for quitting to the 7 in 10 smokers who would stop if they could. These new drugs may be the start of a new, and more effective, era in fighting this noxious addiction.