A new bill is on the table to make cigarettes available with a doctors prescription only for the people of Oregon, according to Fox 12 Oregon on Jan. 23, 2013. Representative Mitch Greenlick from Portland is sponsoring this bill, which seems to have just as many people agreeable to this new plan as it has people up in arms about making cigarettes obtainable only from a doctor.
One of the main concerns for smokers is that most doctors advocate for their patients not to smoke, leaving smokers to wonder under what circumstances would a doctor feel comfortable writing a prescription for cigarettes? This bill carries some strict penalties for anyone caught with cigarettes without a prescription.
If you are caught with cigarettes without a prescription the bill's proposed maximum penalty is a year in jail or a $6,250 fine or both. The bill proposes classifying cigarettes as a Schedule III controlled substance. Ketamine, lysergic acid and anabolic steroids are some of the drugs that fall under the Schedule III classification today.
Rick Cannon of Salem thinks the bill is a great idea and he’s hoping it passes. He said that there are less and less smokers every year as people heed the health warnings that come along with cigarettes. Apparently he feels getting cigarettes from a doctor’s prescription will help keep more people from smoking. Then there’s the train of thought that Juan Silva of Salem shares with the media. He thinks it’s “pretty crazy.” He doesn’t see the bill passing, but he did say it will be interesting to watch how all this unfolds.
What is hard to fathom is a doctor ever finding a legitimate reason to write a prescription for cigarettes if this bill did pass. Could this be a round about way of banning cigarettes without actually using the word “ban?” What do you think?
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