

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 ("FDA") 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 Register 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. The Proposed Rule asks about a hundred different questions I might 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 dissecting these issues, but they take 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 a mere six months to comment on it. This is our only opportunity, as consumers, to provide our feedback. 

I feel very strongly about e-cigarettes as an alternative to combustible cigarettes. Quite simply, I firmly believe that they saved my life. I wish to provide you with my personal story:

As a smoking alternative, I have been vaping. I am still addicted to nicotine. However, I have been slowly lowering the milligrams of nicotine along the way. I started with 36mg e-liquid, and am now vaping 6mg e-liquid. In a perfect world, I would have just quit. But, that did not happen in 42 years! I did not quit, when I was diagnosed with COPD and emphysema. I did not quit, when they identified and continued to monitor more 'nodules' in my lungs than I can count. I did not quit, when I was no longer able to sleep laying down. I did not quit, when I was told I would to be on oxygen within a year. I quit, when I found vaping.

The difference in my lungs is incredible! I can sleep laying down! I no longer have to avoid laughter. My 'quality of life' has changed drastically!  

My current statistics:  Quit Date: 10/2/2012  -  Today:  5/11/2014  -  Smober Time: 1 Year, 7 Months, 9 Days  -  Cigarettes Not Smoked: 48, 880

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 do so here, so that all stakeholders have the opportunity to provide their comments on this proposed regulation.

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


Thank You!
