Oregon Pol Sponsoring Bill to Require Prescription for Cigarettes

SALEM, Ore. -- Oregon State Representative Mitch Greenlick (D) is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule III controlled substance, meaning it would be illegal to possess or distribute cigarettes without a doctor's prescription, according to a report by KPTV.

Under the proposal, offenders would face maximum punishments of one year in prison, a $6,250 fine or both.

Mitch GreenlickOther drugs and substances that are considered Schedule III controlled substances are ketamine, lysergic acid and anabolic steroids.

"The State Board of Pharmacy may adopt rules placing requirements and limitations on the sale or transfer of products containing nicotine," House Bill 2077 said.

Greenlick does not expect the bill to pass, he told Willamette Week, but rather to point out that nicotine is as addictive as heroin and start a conversation. "To have a substance that addictive for sale over the counter just seems wrong," he told the newspaper. "If it doesn’t pass, I hope that it will enhance the probability of an increase in the cigarette tax passing."