Of course the paper involves speculation (though, as others have pointed out, it is not as unsupported as you suggest), but there's nothing unusual, let alone w

Of course the paper involves speculation (though, as others have pointed out, it is not as unsupported as you suggest), but there's nothing unusual, let alone wrong, about that. If the possible usefulness of nicotine could not be discussed until it was proven to be both an effective and safe treatment, we would never find out if it were either. Nor is there anything wrong in considering whether it could lead to a feasible treatment, as that is an important consideration in how vigorously to follow up. Your ethical concerns seem to be overblown and premature. By itself, this paper will have no effect on policy.