Democrat wanted cigarettes punishable with 1 year in prison

I think this is a shocking wake-up call - it's not just Republicans pushing for draconian drug laws and policing of morality - it's apparent now that both parties are havens for jack-booted legislation such as this:

http://www.ibtimes.com/oregon-lawmaker-proposes-bill-ban-cigarettes-1038316

An Oregon lawmaker has proposed a bill that would essentially ban the sale and use of cigarettes by requiring that all nicotine products receive a doctor’s prescription.

Democratic Representative Mitch Greenlick of Portland proposed the bill on Thursday, according to local news station KPTV. The proposed bill would classify cigarettes and any other products containing nicotine as a Schedule III substance, making it illegal to possess without a doctor’s note.

Under the proposed law, any person caught with cigarettes or tobacco products (or any Schedule III substance) in Oregon would be facing up to one year in prison or a fine of $6,250. Other Schedule III substances include ketamine and LSD.

"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 reads.

According to the Williamette Week, roughly 17 percent of Oregonians smoke on a regular basis. Because it’s highly unlikely that any legitimate doctor would actually prescribe a patient cigarettes (just as very few doctors prescribe LSD), the bill would make it impossible for more than 660,000 Oregon residents to smoke legally.

Still, even Greenlick concedes that the bill has a low likelihood of actually passing in the state legislature. He says that, more than anything else, the bill is designed to spark a conversation about the fact that cigarettes are “as addictive as heroin” but sold over the counter.

"To have a substance that addictive for sale over the counter just seems wrong," he told the Williamette Week. "If it doesn’t pass, I hope that it will enhance the probability of an increase in the cigarette tax passing.”

Still, not everyone is onboard with Greenlick’s plan.

"I think it's pretty crazy," Salem native Juan Silva told KPTV. "I don't see it going through. It's going to be something to watch for, but I don't think it'll pass."

Other Oregon residents are more supportive of the proposed plan to outlaw cigarettes.

"I hope it passes, and I hope people actually think about it," Rick Cannon of Salem told KPTV. "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."

 

Excuse me, but LSD is Schedule 1 in the United States.

http://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml

 

Oregon state law has its own schedule of drugs apparently:

http://www.myoregondefenselawyer.com/criminal-charges/drug-possession/

 

Local laws do not supercede federal laws. LSD is Schedule 1 throughout the United States, everywhere.

(Whether they're enforcing that or not, is a different issue - same as the pot laws).

 

I don't see how this is that far-off from anti-gay groups like the AFA wanting gay sex to be a crime citing AIDs related health concerns - but most people probably never heard about this legislation here.

 

Running cigarettes into and out of Oregon would be like running booze during prohibition. Crime syndicates and black markets. I do not think you can legislate people out of their bad habits, but you can drive them underground and into speakeasy's or whatever a cigarette den would be called.

 

The government nanny is everywhere, cleaning up after us and making sure we don't hurt ourselves. She is busy telling us how much soda we can drink, how many bullets we can put in our guns, what kind of lightbulbs we can can put in our lamps, and even who we can legally marry. This is our fault -- we get the government we deserve.

 

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

 

This politicians real motive summed up by himself in these two paragraphs. It's always about the money. It seems the government can never tax the people enough. And it's always easier to get a majority tax approved when the individuals being taxed are in the minority.

 

This is far from the democrats first rodeo. They've been hot and heavy after banning/taxing foods they think are unhealthy. Look at what Michele O. did to school lunches. What about the NYC proposal to not allow Big Gulp soda pop?

This is a big one, but I'm not surprised. The democrats are all about controlling behavior.

 

Not to mention telling us what kind of bullets we can put in our guns, or how many... and what kind of lightbulbs we can put in our lamps at home...

 

prohibition is wrong regardless of party, it's about controlling people, not caring about them......

 

why not propose a bill for sugar and caffeine next.....prohibitionists are idiots


.