Comment submitted and copied to CASAA
I am a 45 year old male living in Fairview, Tennessee. I started smoking at 15 years old and smoked for about 15 years. I had attempted to quit smoking using nicotine replacement devices such as and nicotine gum and the patch. I managed to quit for about a year when I was 30 but picked up the habit of smoking cigars which I smoked fairly regularly for another 15 years.
I was introduced to electric cigarettes via advertising and purchased the Blu cig-alike type product. It wasnt until I was introduced to a higher quality vaping device at a local vaper shop that I was able to put the cigars down for good on 1/1/2014. I immediately started using the non-tobacco e-juices preferring the fruit and candy type flavors which I continue to use to this day.
Since replacing the cigar with a vaping device (innokin MVP2 + Kayfun Lite Plus atomizer) I have noticed significant improvements in my health. I no longer wake up coughing and no longer get out of breath as easily as before I quit smoking tobacco products. Motivated by this improvement I have started an exercise regime where I get up early and walk 1.5 miles on the treadmill before getting ready for work and my wife joins me for a 2 mile hike through a local nature park every afternoon. I truly feel that this important change in my life and heath would not be possible had I not given up the cigars and started vaping at the first of this year. Also, since starting to vape I have lowered the nicotine level of my ejuice from 18mg to 12mg in addition to losing 25 pounds of unnecessary weight.
I would urge the FDA not to place excessive restrictions on the type of e-smoking devices available and type and flavors of ejuice used in vaping as it would severely disrupt what I truly believe has been a positive change in my life.