Oregon state Rep. Mitch Greenlick, a Democrat, is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule III controlled substance, equatable with ketamine, lysergic acid and anabolic steroids. The bill would force all cigarette smokers to carry a prescription from a doctor or face jail time.
Offenders of the proposed law would face maximum punishments of one year in prison, a $6,250 fine or both, Fox 12 Oregon reports.
“I think it’s pretty crazy,” Juan Silva of Salem, Ore., told Fox 12. “I don’t see it going through. It’s going to be something to watch for, but I don’t think it’ll pass.”
Others think the measure is a good idea, arguing it will make people more aware of the dangers of cigarette smoke.
“I hope it passes, and I hope people actually think about it,” said Rick Cannon of Salem. “You know there’s less and less smokers everyday because they know how bad it is for them, so I just hope people wake up and realize how bad it actually is for them.”
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Jessica Chasmar is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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