Cigarettes by prescription-only? Would you prescribe if a patient asked you?
A bill in the Oregon State Legislature, proposed by Rep. Mitch Greenlick of Portland, would make cigarettes available by prescription only and classify them as a Schedule III controlled substance. This means that they would be illegal to possess or distribute cigarettes…….without a doctor’s prescription. We don’t think this has any chance of passing, but if you’ve been to Portland, you do know that this is an area of the country that could be the first to do this. There are a few of us here that vacation in Portland and other parts of the Pacific NW, and realize that the show Portlandia is not far from the truth! (We have to add that we LOVE Portland and the people there!)
Do you think this is the next step in ridding our society of cigarettes? Or do you think this would lead to a black market where you would have to find some shady fellow to buy your pack of Marlboros? Would you prescribe cigarettes to your patients if you were asked?
From our standpoint, we do not see this has a malpractice insurance issue b/c we typically don’t see insurance carriers worrying about prescribed drugs…..unless the doctor is operating a pill-mill. We’d love to hear your thoughts!
