A new bill in the Oregon Legislature would mark nicotine as a controlled substance.
Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland) has filed a bill in the Oregon Legislature that would group nicotine in the same category as ketamine, making it illegal to possess the addictive substance without a doctor’s note, Willamete Week (WW) reported.
House Bill 2077 would classify nicotine as a Schedule III controlled substance and would make the unlawful possession and distribution of nicotine a crime punishable by up to one year of prison and a $6,250 fine.
Greenlick told WW he doesn’t expect the bill—which is expected to face an uphill battle—to pass, but is looking to start a conversation on how nicotine is as addictive as heroin.
“To have a substance that addictive for sale over the counter just seems wrong,” he told WW. “If it doesn’t pass, I hope that it will enhance the probability of an increase in the cigarette tax passing.”