The final countdown to August 8th - your FDA comments NEEDED

[DC2]

Comment submitted, but why do we need to send our comment number to CASAA?

The last time we posted comments to the FDA we had well over 5,000 of them.
And only just over 100 of them were ever posted.

I am thinking one of the main reasons to send your comment number to CASAA is for them to be prepared to confront this.
That is, of course, assuming such a thing should happen again.

 

[DC2]

And what are the long term effects of vaping nicotine?

I'm banking on the avoidance of Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

But in the meantime, I'm enjoying the short term effects such as...
Increased memory, attention, and concentration.

But then again, the study of snus use has shown pretty conclusively that there aren't really any long-term negatives.
And the FDA seems to be in agreement, now that they have opened the door for long-term use of NRT products.

 

[Skwerl]

Done and done....thank you Anarchy84. I ganked a few paragraphs of your comments because my brain stopped working halfway thru.

Below is what I sent:
Despite the known risks associated with smoking cigarettes, I smoked a pack a day for almost 20 years. Throughout that time I tried numerous times to quit using every FDA-approved product available - and nothing worked. My doctor and I discussed Chantix, but as I had a life-threatening reaction with an Zoloft, we determined that the risk was just too high.

As an e-cigarette userI would like to express my utter disdain and opposition for any move to impose draconian regulation and labyrinthine bureaucracy to e-cigarettes.

I am writing as a E-cigarette success story.
I smoked for 20 years. I loved smoking, even with its dire consequences I had no desire to quit.

Quitting tobacco is a messy and dreadful business. The patches don't work, Chantix has side effects that make tobacco the better choice, and the nicotine gum is the 2nd most vile concoction ever created by man after strained peas.
The e-cigarette gave me the ideal path of least resistance to a tobacco free life. I had the added benefit of not smelling like an old pub, not catching every cold that comes down the pike and was able to put the money saved to good use in the local economy. I spend it on my new addiction: purses and perfume which smells so much sweeter than an ashtray.
I quit smoking 5 1/2 years ago after I lost my job- tobacco didn't fit into my budget and had to go. That was an incredibly hard decision to live by.
When the average citizen is presented with budgetary restraints we examine our finances and make cuts- ones that hurt. I live in a state that uses 'Sin Taxes' to justify their draconian regulation and labyrinthine bureaucracies. The people aren't buying it, and to clothe it in good intentions is an insult to their intelligence.
But I digress- I am writing to tell you why I like the variety of flavours, colours and products.
The cig-a-likes are pretty much what we all start with. Their insipid flavors and poor performance drive many back to cigarettes. Most of us will give e-cigs another chance after looking around and trying the different non-cigarette looking types. The kinds with long lasting batteries, crazy colours, weird shapes or refillable tanks- a panoply rivaled only by our obsession with automobiles of every technical bent.
We branch out in taste as well. The tobacco flavours get old quick. The flavourings used in the cig-a-likes are pretty insipid or outright terrible. Small business to the rescue- brave entrepreneurs realized if you make it, they will come. Some folks have a sweet tooth, chocoholics, ketchup lovers...even bacon fans- there is a flavour for any palette! I am an odd one...I like unflavoured, lavender and red wine. I prefer to add my own flavorings because I am so picky.
If the proposed changes go into effect as-is, the vast majority of effective e-cigarette products will removed from the market and thousands of small businesses across the country will be shut down. As a consumer of these products - and a primary stakeholder in their continued, legal availability - I consider the proposed regulations to be completely inappropriate in their current form. For the FDA to blindly consider banning products that have the potential to save millions of American lives is not only wrong, it is irresponsible and wholly incongruous with FDA's mission.

See, that's the thing. We are a nation of individuals. We like what we like, and get what we want through initiative. We have a nation based on simple principles and a free market powered by small businesses- like the ones that power the e-cigarette business. The same businesses that will fold should these ill-advised regulations and rules (imposed by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats.) Part of the void will be filled by large faceless corporations- most of them overseas, and all of them shilling an overpriced, poorly thought out products. The rest of the void will be black market dodgyness or a return to bad old fashioned cancer sticks.

The result: A death to a vibrant small business sector, a lot more dead smokers and a nation of vaping lawbreakers in the shadows.

If these products are going to be regulated for the benefit of the American public, the regulations need to be based on hard evidence founded in factual science - not hearsay and the desires of Big Tobacco. The proposed regulations will offer little benefit, and may have catastrophic consequences for a growing industry that employs tens of thousands of American people. I strongly encourage the FDA to perform adequate research on e-cigarettes before making an uninformed decision that will negatively impact the health and well-being of these Americans.

Please make the appropriate changes to the proposal. If you need additional information about the safety of these products, you can find many useful studies at the link I’ve provided below.

The Ultimate List of E-Cig Studies: Are E-Cigs Actually Safe? *Updated 2/16/14 » onVaping

With Kind Regards,
Shannon

 

[Vicman]

Done and sent.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Keep 'em coming, y'all!! There's still time to make your voice heard!

 

[SlickWilly]

Thank you, Done!

 

[talbrecht]

It is hard to write about something that you are so passionate about without going all crazy on the regulatory agency that wants to destroy all that good things vaping has brought to us. I sound way too under control here but at least I have sent mine in. Everyone take the time to comment on the deeming regulations

FDA 1jy-8dnx-zszg

Thank you for the opportunity to address the proposed regulations as it relates to e-cigarettes and all the improvements that have been made since e-cigs were introduced in 2007.

I took up smoking in college as a habit/addiction over 35 years ago. Now at the age of 57 I am no longer a smoker thanks to the ecig. Before that time I had tried tobacco products on occasion as many young people do but it never became habitual.
Over the years I tried many times to quit smoking. I didn't like the way smoking made me feel physically and through the years the way people looked and talked about me as the anti smoking crusade became increasingly prevalent. Over my 35 years of smoking a pack to two a day, I tried quitting cold turkey, I have used nicotine lozenges and the nicotine patches with no success at all. Nothing worked and I knew that the lozenges wouldn't work as I sucked on one with a cigarette in my mouth. None of the FAD approved remedies worked for me.

In 2009 I tried my first e-cigarette on a lark when I saw something at a truck stop that resembled a cigarette and was labeled as an electronic cigarette. I was fascinated with the prospect of not smoking tobacco and trading it for an ecig as a substitute. I was amazed at how easy it was to cut back on regular tobacco cigarettes. I actually made a successful transition to ecigs totally.

I could tell though that to make the transition permanent better equipment and better tasting juice had to follow because of poor battery life and poor atomizer performance. It was such a pain to have to remember to carry extra batteries and cartridges everywhere you go knowing that some part of the equipment was going to go down while I was out and about. Eventually I became dissatisfied with the problems and went back to smoking.

In August 2013 I stopped into a local Vapor shop and purchased another ecig and have found that equipment and juice choices have dramatically increased and perform so much better.
I have been cigarette free since that day and have never been more proud or felt better physically is so many years I can't remember.

I started out with a flavor that tried to resemble a tobacco taste but quickly figured out that with the juice flavors available I was no longer a slave to that nasty tobacco flavor and a whole new world opened up for me. Right now I have probably 15 flavors on hand to interchange depending on my mood for the day. Through better equipment and flavor choices I have been able to cut my nicotine intake and have felt very satisfied. I no longer have any desire to pick up a cigarette.

If the deeming regulations proceed as proposed many of the smaller to medium sized vendors are not going to be able to afford to go through the approval process. Not because their products are not worthy of approval but because the cost of approval will make it too hard to recoup those costs. This will cost thousands of jobs and if a smokers only choice ends up being a cigalike product that I was using back in 2009. It is my fear that not only will the deeming regulations as proposed cost jobs but will ultimately cost the lives of smokers that will not have the opportunities of choice of flavors and great equipment to make their journey to being a non smoker so much harder.

If our choices of flavors and equipment were to be severely limited or set back to standards of 7 years ago I am not sure how my success will be effected but I do know that there will be an effect on my ability to stay away from tobacco.

In closing I would like to say that I have been very interested in what the electronic cigarette community has been doing to not only advance the quality of equipment and flavored juices but to self regulate and research and share their findings in the areas of quality and safety. As a member of CASSA and other organizations I also have been kept informed about studies being conducted all over the world. I trust that the FDA will come to the conclusion that the vaping community and all persons using tobacco need this technology and will not stifle the innovation and research by placing unrealistic regulations on either the consumer or the persons bringing innovation and direction to this industry.

 

[Katya]

Done!

1jy-8dny-sarx

 

[Katmar]

It is hard to write about something that you are so passionate about without going all crazy on the regulatory agency that wants to destroy all that good things vaping has brought to us. I sound way too under control here but at least I have sent mine in. Everyone take the time to comment on the deeming regulations

FDA 1jy-8dnx-zszg

Thank you for the opportunity to address the proposed regulations as it relates to e-cigarettes and all the improvements that have been made since e-cigs were introduced in 2007.

I took up smoking in college as a habit/addiction over 35 years ago. Now at the age of 57 I am no longer a smoker thanks to the ecig. Before that time I had tried tobacco products on occasion as many young people do but it never became habitual.
Over the years I tried many times to quit smoking. I didn't like the way smoking made me feel physically and through the years the way people looked and talked about me as the anti smoking crusade became increasingly prevalent. Over my 35 years of smoking a pack to two a day, I tried quitting cold turkey, I have used nicotine lozenges and the nicotine patches with no success at all. Nothing worked and I knew that the lozenges wouldn't work as I sucked on one with a cigarette in my mouth. None of the FAD approved remedies worked for me.

In 2009 I tried my first e-cigarette on a lark when I saw something at a truck stop that resembled a cigarette and was labeled as an electronic cigarette. I was fascinated with the prospect of not smoking tobacco and trading it for an ecig as a substitute. I was amazed at how easy it was to cut back on regular tobacco cigarettes. I actually made a successful transition to ecigs totally.

I could tell though that to make the transition permanent better equipment and better tasting juice had to follow because of poor battery life and poor atomizer performance. It was such a pain to have to remember to carry extra batteries and cartridges everywhere you go knowing that some part of the equipment was going to go down while I was out and about. Eventually I became dissatisfied with the problems and went back to smoking.

In August 2013 I stopped into a local Vapor shop and purchased another ecig and have found that equipment and juice choices have dramatically increased and perform so much better.
I have been cigarette free since that day and have never been more proud or felt better physically is so many years I can't remember.

I started out with a flavor that tried to resemble a tobacco taste but quickly figured out that with the juice flavors available I was no longer a slave to that nasty tobacco flavor and a whole new world opened up for me. Right now I have probably 15 flavors on hand to interchange depending on my mood for the day. Through better equipment and flavor choices I have been able to cut my nicotine intake and have felt very satisfied. I no longer have any desire to pick up a cigarette.

If the deeming regulations proceed as proposed many of the smaller to medium sized vendors are not going to be able to afford to go through the approval process. Not because their products are not worthy of approval but because the cost of approval will make it too hard to recoup those costs. This will cost thousands of jobs and if a smokers only choice ends up being a cigalike product that I was using back in 2009. It is my fear that not only will the deeming regulations as proposed cost jobs but will ultimately cost the lives of smokers that will not have the opportunities of choice of flavors and great equipment to make their journey to being a non smoker so much harder.

If our choices of flavors and equipment were to be severely limited or set back to standards of 7 years ago I am not sure how my success will be effected but I do know that there will be an effect on my ability to stay away from tobacco.

In closing I would like to say that I have been very interested in what the electronic cigarette community has been doing to not only advance the quality of equipment and flavored juices but to self regulate and research and share their findings in the areas of quality and safety. As a member of CASSA and other organizations I also have been kept informed about studies being conducted all over the world. I trust that the FDA will come to the conclusion that the vaping community and all persons using tobacco need this technology and will not stifle the innovation and research by placing unrealistic regulations on either the consumer or the persons bringing innovation and direction to this industry.

That is so well written. Kudos to you!!!! And a great big Thanks!!!

 

[Megan Kogijiki Ratchford]

Thank you everyone who have submitted YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

 

[El Heisenberg]

i'm about to send mine off, this may sound stupid but to which category are we sending this off to? theres no FDA option.
thanks

 

[Katmar]

i'm about to send mine off, this may sound stupid but to which category are we sending this off to? theres no FDA option.
thanks

Go here and post your comments:

Regulations.gov

 

[Jman8]

My commentary work is finished. I ended up submitting 5 comments. I'll likely share those on ECF, but probably will do that on thread I started for "good comments." Anyway, the 5 I did submit were on:

- My Story
- The Need for Fair Science
- Grandfathering Products
- What is an eCig Tobacco Product
- The Flavors Issue

The one about "What is an eCig" is where I was compelled to note that components that do not contain nicotine ought not to be considered tobacco products, with reasoning to support that claim.

In 4 of the 5 comments I submitted, I wasn't even a little bit shy about letting the FDA know that zealous regulations will create a black market, and FDA would bear some responsibility for this, should it choose to go in the direction of zealotry.

 

[Jman8]

i'm about to send mine off, this may sound stupid but to which category are we sending this off to? theres no FDA option.
thanks

The category field on the submission site is for designating where you are coming from. One of the options is "individual consumer" and is what I chose for all comments I submitted.

 

[Megan Kogijiki Ratchford]

My commentary work is finished. I ended up submitting 5 comments. I'll likely share those on ECF, but probably will do that on thread I started for "good comments." Anyway, the 5 I did submit were on:

- My Story
- The Need for Fair Science
- Grandfathering Products
- What is an eCig Tobacco Product
- The Flavors Issue

The one about "What is an eCig" is where I was compelled to note that components that do not contain nicotine ought not to be considered tobacco products, with reasoning to support that claim.

In 4 of the 5 comments I submitted, I wasn't even a little bit shy about letting the FDA know that zealous regulations will create a black market, and FDA would bear some responsibility for this, should it choose to go in the direction of zealotry.

Nicely done!!

 

[El Heisenberg]

thats where I am look at category theres a drop down of several options...is it drug industry?

Go here and post your comments:

Regulations.gov

 

[Megan Kogijiki Ratchford]

thats where I am look at category theres a drop down of several options...is it drug industry?

"Individual"

 

[Katmar]

thats where I am look at category theres a drop down of several options...is it drug industry?

Individual!! Sorry!!

 

[El Heisenberg]

OMG! is this only on my page or what? I clicked individual, added my contact info but it still asks for category to submit it to? right underneath "I am submitting on behalf of a third party"

"Individual"

 

[Megan Kogijiki Ratchford]

OMG! is this only on my page or what? I clicked individual, added my contact info but it still asks for category to submit it to? right underneath "I am submitting on behalf of a third party"

Uncheck that box, you are submitting on behalf of yourself.