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Forget the Surgeon General, if you live in Oregon you may have to start watching over your shoulder for the “Cigarette Police”.
Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland Oregon has introduced a bill in the State Legislature to reduce the number of addicted people. So, if someone is wanting to quit smoking cigarettes, Oregon is the place to live. According to Greenlick's Bill, he's added a bit of motivation to stop smoking. Under Greenlick’s proposal, smokers would be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to one year’s imprisonment and a $6,250 fine for being caught with a cigarette or any of the other Schedule III controlled substances, including ketamine, lysergic acid and anabolic steroids.
The Greenlick Bill would classify cigarettes as a Schedule III controlled substance, making them illegal to purchase without a doctor’s prescription. The bill also prohibits the State Board of Pharmacy from adopting rules that exempt any nicotine products from the legislation, which would include chewing tobacco, nicotine patches and gums, among others.
Law enforcement agencies would have the right to inspect all products that they believe might contain nicotine. “A person commits the crime of unlawful possession of nicotine if the person knowingly possesses more than 0.1 milligram of nicotine,” the legislation states.
Passing such a bill would also prompt criminals to begin illegally selling cigarettes in Oregon, where they would be able to charge potential buyers more than in other states. Addicted smokers would pay large amounts of money to get ahold of cigarettes. Oregon state would lose some of its tax revenue, since it currently receives about $1.18 per pack of cigarettes.
