

Comment Info: =================

General Comment:Dear Mr. Zeller,

I am writing as an individual consumer to request an extension of the comment period for the Food and Drug Administration's proposed rule deeming tobacco products to be subject to the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act, as amended by the family smoking and prevention and tobacco control act (the "proposed rule") published at 79 fed. reg. 23,142 and federal registers No. 2014-09491. On behalf of myself, I am requesting that the comment period for the proposed rule be extended by the FDA for an additional 105 days, from its current 75-day period, to 180 days.

The proposed rule raises a number of significant issues and questions that are important and relevant to me as a consumer of products that are proposed for regulation under the proposed rule. This proposed rule asks about a hundred different questions I want to respond to. I want to provide my thoughts and comments on many of these issues, but my time to devote to researching and providing thoughtful comments on these important questions is limited. I have already spent many hours researching and studying these issues, but this takes time. I know that the FDA took many years to even come up with the proposed rule, so I do not think it is at all unreasonable to allow the public approximately six months to comment on it. After all, this is my only opportunity as consumer to provide feedback. 

For what it’s worth, I feel very strongly that e-cigarettes have saved my life and are giving me an opportunity to do physical exercise that I have not been able to do for years. I hope to provide you with my personal story, along with science and evidence based responses to your questions so that you can take my comment into account. I realize that the FDA has the authority under 21 CFR 10.40 to extend this time frame and that the FDA has exercised this authority on numerous occasions in the past. I would therefore ask that you please do the same here, so that all of us with experience have the opportunity to provide our comments on this proposed regulation.

I do appreciate your consideration of my request and am happy to discuss this issue with you further if you so wish.

Thank You,

Thomas

