Bill proposed in Oregon would make cigarettes prescription-only drugs

If you're a regular smoker, you may want to keep an eye on a new bill in the Oregon Legislature. Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland, is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule III controlled substance, meaning it would be illegal to possess or distribute cigarettes without a doctor's prescription.

Under the proposal, offenders would face maximum punishments of one year in prison, a $6,250 fine or both. Other drugs and substances that are considered Schedule III controlled substances are ketamine, lysergic acid 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.

"I think it's pretty crazy," said Juan Silva of Salem. "I don't see it going through. It's going to be something to watch for, but I don't think it'll pass." Read more >>

At $12 a pack for cigarettes, it pays to cheat in NY

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It doesn't take much coaxing to get otherwise legitimate Big Apple businesses into the illegal cigarette trade.

"They come out here like they are salesman from Pepsi or the potato-chip company," said the owner of a north Bronx bodega that sells smuggled Newports and Marlboros for $8 a pack.

"I don't know how the city is going to stop it. The city is losing a lot of tax money," he said. "They are killing themselves, because no one is paying $12 for a pack of cigarettes, and I'm not paying taxes on the money I make selling them."

His supplier provides him with cartons between $45 and $50 a pop, which gives him a $30- to $35-per-carton profit.

But he refused to sell counterfeit Marlboros and Newports smuggled in from China that wholesaled for just $30 a carton because customers said they "tasted like garbage."

Another store owner said his supply of untaxed cigarettes can be erratic.

"Whenever we get a chance, we buy them," he said. "They don't give their name or phone number because they're afraid of getting busted."More...