Oregon lawmaker suggests making cigarettes 'prescription drugs'

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
1/24/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Under proposal, it would be illegal to possess or distribute cigarettes without prescription

Cigarettes, at one time prescribed by doctors in the Forties and Fifties as a "safe form to relax after a heavy day of work," has been linked to lung cancer, high blood pressure, emphysema and a cavalcade of illness. Now - and Oregon lawmaker wants to make cigarettes in his state "available only by prescription" - but there's a different kind of agenda at work here.

Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule III controlled substance.

Facebook Delicous MySpace

Twitter Stumble Digg

More Destinations

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule III controlled substance. The designation would make it illegal to possess or distribute cigarettes without a doctor's prescription.

Offenders would face maximum punishments of one year in prison, a $6,250 fine or both.

Other drugs and substances that fall under the designation of Schedule III controlled substances are ketamine, also known as "Special K," lysergic acid or LSD and anabolic steroids.

"The State Board of Pharmacy may adopt rules placing requirements and limitations on the sale or transfer of products containing nicotine," the bill's text says.

Few think the bill has a chance to win approval. "I think it's pretty crazy," Juan Silva of Salem says. "I don't see it going through. It's going to be something to watch for, but I don't think it'll pass."

Another opinion is offered by Rick Cannon, also of Salem. "I hope it passes and I hope people actually think about it. 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."

Greenlick previously made headlines this week by suggesting a state committee look into the hiring procedure used by the University of Oregon when it named Mark Helfrich the new Ducks head coach.

In related news: Oregon declined to follow the lead of other northwestern states Colorado and Washington by legalizing recreational marijuana use in the last election.

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Cigarettes, Oregon, prescription drugs, Ketamine, LSD

NEWSLETTERS »

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

0 Comments

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment