Law proposed in Oregon would make possessing cigarettes illegal

Oregon state legislator, Rep. Mitch Greenlick, a Democrat, has sponsored a bill to make possession of cigarettes illegal. Smokers would need a doctor's prescription to smoke and possessing cigarettes without one could lead to jail time.

Greenlick's bill would make tobacco products a Schedule III controlled substance, like codeine. ketamine, hydrocodone and anabolic steroids, and anyone caught with cigarettes could be imprisoned for up to a year, fined $6,250, or both. “I think it’s a great idea, and would love to see it pass,” Greenlick told the Toronto Star by phone this week. “But I didn’t really think when I introduced it that it would be enacted. I just wanted to make a point that tobacco is more addictive than heroin.” Lawmaker: increase cigarette taxes Greenlick, who also plans a bill that would repeal the death penalty in Oregon and replace it with life imprisonment, said that if his bid to make tobacco illegal fails, he hopes it will help with other legislative efforts concerning cigarettes. “If it doesn’t pass, I hope that it will enhance the probability of an increase in the cigarette tax passing.”