Editorial: Nicotine's Nice Side

By Abigail Trafford Tuesday, April 22, 1997; Page Z06 Now that the tobacco industry has blinked, agreeing that cigarettes are a health hazard and discussing a $250 billion fund to pay for smoking-related illness, perhaps it's time to think about the unthinkable: Suppose nicotine were good for you? Behind the headlines is growing evidence that nicotine, the substance that makes tobacco addictive, may have some therapeutic effects. It's conceivable that future physicians might well prescribe nicotine -- as a drug, not a cigarette -- to relieve symptoms for a variety of diseases from schizophrenia and Alzheimer's to attention deficit disorder and colitis.

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