I believe that you train and encourage behavior you want repeated. As such, I keep "novelty" firestarting techniques in context. THey are included because they are interesting and fun, not necessarily because I want my scouts packing steel wool, rocket motors, or reactive chemicals in their fire kits.
While it is important to instill in scouts the ability to "adapt, improvise & overcome," I think teaching a technique relying on a prohibited substance is just asking for trouble. While "knowledge takes up less space than gear" is commonly bandied about, the fact is, students only retain a fraction of material presented. Providing a justification for bringing a flask of hooch (scout translation) might knock out that great material you presented on understanding the fire triangle.
"Ya know, properly dried pot makes a great tinder bundle for use with your bow drill. . ."
I'll seek out the article as it sounds interesting and I'm always interested in expanding my bush knowledge. Nevertheless, Some material just isn't appropriate for young boys.