

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 well as 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 do so here, so that all stakeholders have the opportunity to provide their comments on this proposed regulation.                                                                                                                                                                                Brandy Smith Barbourville,Kentucky- age 34 After seventeen years of smoking, i started vaping July 5th 2013 after a B&M opened in the next town. I really was skeptical whether it would work or not. I bought a ego & ce4 starter kit. It worked & i could not believe it. Every time i wanted to smoke i would just hit my new personal vaporizer. After a few days i started getting my taste & smell back. It was a great feeling! I started breathing better as well. Since then i have tried to get every smoker that I know to switch to vape. I have successfully influenced friends & family to make the switch. I have a new outlook & hobby in my life. It made me feel like i had a purpose in life to help others stop smoking and save their lives possibly. I smell a smokers in a stores now. I can not believe i used to smell like that. Now my house & vehicle don't stink or get all yellowed up. i no longer have to worry about burning holes in things with a cigarette, It has really changed my life for the better more than i ever realized it could. Vaping has numerous benefits. No ash or ashtrays. No more wasting money on something that was killing me slowly every day. Also, no more awkward moments of being around non-smokers. No more of people or animals having to inhale my second hand smoke. I could write a book on how much it has done for me to the good. I love to vape. I am so thankful for it!     
