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

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skoony

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As of July 28, there were 50,890 comments received by FDA on the deeming proposal. Out of these 50,890 comments posted to the FDA docket, 45,313 are about cigars, and I can only find a little over 3,000 that have anything to do with ecigs. The rest are probably comments with attachments, that do not mention search terms in the main comment box. With some prior data I collected thru some random sampling, I found that the ecig related comments come in about a 5-2 ANTZ to pro-vaping ratio. This means there are only around 1,200 comments in support of vaping 8-o (2,230 under the best assumptions). In any case, if there are a few million vapers in the US, their complacency is very disconcerting.
where is this info coming from? i just finished my comments and there wasn.t any category breakdown you mention other than i choose individual consumer.
regards
mike
 

Rhals

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Got in just in time. Keep it going. Here is my novel (lol):

Your Comment Tracking Number: 1jy-8dok-4fcc

I'm a 32 year old husband and father of two, and for just over a decade I smoked a pack a day or more. I hated every bit of it for 9 years out of 10. I tried dozens of times to quit - unsuccessful using gum, chantix, patches, etc. - so that I could be healthier both individually and for my family. I eventually tried e-cigarettes and successfully quit smoking on my first attempt! In the beginning I used 24mg of nicotine in my e-liquid, and over two years I've reduced it to 6mg. I continue to use e-cigarettes because I enjoy it - as a hobbyist, socially, and simply to have healthier access to nicotine to ease the stresses of everyday life (which is nice to have because I don't drink). Since I've quit smoking, and all while using my e-cigarette, I smell better, I've lost 30lbs because I now can exercise three days a week again, I eat healthier because I feel more in charge of my health than ever before, and I spend about a third or less on e-cigarettes than I did on cigarettes so I'm even saving more for retirement and vacations. My life has been significantly upgraded by the availability and affordability of e-cigarettes. The wide variety of flavors also kept me engaged during my cessation of smoking, and I was able to dial down to exactly the tastes that kept me coming back - I like sweet flavors, like baked goods, berries and candies, because I find they are the most pleasurable to my taste buds.

I do support regulations that control the quality and safety of e-liquids. For example, I am very concerned that big tabaco companies entering this market will do precisely the same thing with e-liquids as they did with their cigarette products: load it with thousands of chemicals to make it more addictive. My experience with e-cigarettes is that it's all about achieving the cleanest, most pure delivery of nicotine with the least potential for unwanted byproducts. We - the community who quit smoking using e-cigarettes - are DONE with loading our bodies with thousands of harmful and unknown chemicals.

I do not support the regulation of the flavors of e-liquids however. To say candy flavors are there to market for kids is wrong, they are there for people like me who want a flavor they enjoy. You can regulate the advertisements so they do not intentionally market to kids, I know most of us have no concerns with reasonable regulation over advertisement, but to impose regulations on e-liquid flavors would be an overstep considering how personal the flavor choices are and how critical finding an enjoyable flavor is to your success in quitting (from my own personal experience).

I also do not support regulations that will drown out the small businesses who support the e-cigarette industry - the people who make the devices, the accessories, and the custom juices. The variety of these small businesses make it a rich and amazing market place - anyone can find just what suits them. It would be a terrible shame to impose regulations that hampered the success of small business and only allowed for the largest companies to succeed. I don't want to give a penny of my money back to big tabaco, so I appreciate having a community of small businesses all working hard to get my business. It's working, please don't try to fix it.

My mother and sister-in-law both quit smoking using e-cigarettes after my example, and so did a close friend and a few of my colleagues. It's an excellent alternative to cigarettes and it WORKS, unlike the assortment of FDA-approved patches, gum and that terrible nasty chantix that literally twisted my mind. This is a healthier alternative, please don't regulate it so that fewer people have access to it. Keep it affordable, keep it safe.
 

classwife

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This thread has me "liking" a lot of posts by Surf Monkey.
I never thought I'd see that day come.
:laugh:

Thanks Surf Monkey, for what you're doing out here.
:)



I am quite proud of him !


(for those that don't understand, I don't think Surf has posted outside of the Outside in years !)
 

DC2

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More than 20‰ of the people in the woefully small study quit smoking entirely, and 2/3 of those that didn't drastically reduced their combustible tobacco intake?

What exactly is this Glantz guy's problem with us?
Search this document for the word "Glantz" and you'll see...
Rampant Antismoking Signifies Grave Danger

He is a pioneer in the ANTZ world.
He is a power-player in the world of Anti-Tobacco.

And somehow, for some reason, even though electronic cigarettes are finally working towards accomplishing his goals...
He hates them even more.

His career will be over soon enough.
And then he'll have to wash cars for a living.
 

skoony

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Just finished uploading my comments to the FDA concerning the proposed deeming regs.. I tried to keep my comments at a strictly personal level with out cluttering them up with a lot of references to this or that study. I am sure there are commentators more astute than i when referring to all the scientific literature.
I am posting my comments below. I hope they are not to far off base.
regards
mike

Dear Sirs and or Madams,
In regards to the pending Deeming regulations concerning electronic cigarettes may i submit the following.


I am a 59 year old male. On July 24,2013 i quit smoking tobacco and switched to e-cigs. At that time i was consuming 2 or more packs a day. i had been smoking continuously for 38 years.My health was poor having high blood pressure,enlarged heart,congested lungs,water gain and,sore joints. After switching to e-cigs my lungs cleared up and i no longer coughed all day.My blood pressure dropped although i still require medication. My heart palpitations are much reduced. Persistent rashes have disappeared. I generally feel much better. Although bad knees make my mobility painful, I no longer have to stop every block to catch my breath. I believe this improvement is due to the extremely low toxicity of e-cigs compared to smoked tobacco.


My main concern with the pending regulations is if they are as stringent as those for smoked tobacco they would destroy the market and just leave the large tobacco companies. The devices used in vaporizing the liquid are easily made from common elements one can purchase anywhere. Search the net for e-cig flashlight conversion.
E Cig LED Flashlight Mod | DIY at Home!
This and 135,000 other results show up in Yahoo search. As one can see trying to regulate these devices as if they where cigarettes would be near impossible. Other than regulating voltage of the devices and the ohms used in the coils trying to regulate batteries,wicks,and tanks would be pointless and un-necessary as the are easily made by anyone with a modicum of skill. For less skilled people there are tons of videos showing step by step instructions.


Another area of concern is the juice used in e-cigs. Clearly liquid with no nicotine could not be regulated. How ever when all the ingredients used can be now purchased legally and separately right now how is regulation going to address this? There are already hundreds if not thousands of companies making and selling e-juice with or with out nicotine. i have not heard or am aware of any injuries or deaths occurring as the result of this activity. There are also untold numbers making there own juices at home using food grade and pharmaceutical grade ingredients and,apparently just as successfully as commercial suppliers.
searching the net for do it yourself e-juice one finds 41,500,000 hits on Yahoo search. Among these results one will find conversion charts and recipes that would allow anyone to safely make e-juice to exacting specifications. If one can follow the directions on a box of cake mix one can safely make e-juice.
Other than requiring commercial grade sanitary conditions at facilities making e-juice and the use of FDA approved ingredients any further regulation would put a strangle hold on most of the industry.


The regulation i fear the most is any rules concerning flavors. It is undeniable that children like flavors. It is also undeniable that adults do too. To imply just because some thing has flavors and, that the flavors in and of themselves justify banning them from adults is extreme over simplifacation to say the least. Is it any wonder why cynicism against agencies like yours and,government and elected officials in general is so high? In America where one can buy flavored condoms and vodka with no apparent concern for children these same flavors in e-juice constitute a grave danger to their health. Adult consumers simply want and demand flavors.


Another point about child safety is the use of child resistant caps. i have no problem with this except i do not under stand why one doesn't find these on a can of Draino. I am not disparaging this fine product,only pointing out the lack of concern across the board when it comes to child safety. things like this make me think its all about the money certain concerns are losing due to the e-cigs increase in popularity not,the health and safety of children or adults.


In conclusion instead of referring to all the research that has been done i assume you are aware of it. I would just ask you to access it fairly with no bias from what ever side it comes from. please base your regulations on what is known about this new product category not, on what someone wants us to believe.


respectfully submitted,
Michael A. S

please feel free to post your comments. i would like to see your views.

again,
mike
 

DC2

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Comment submitted and joined CASAA.
This.

I'd like to see every vaper join CASAA.
They are a very important voice for the vaping public.

And the more members they have, the more they will be paid attention to.

And they are already making waves in the media.
But the waves can always be BIGGER!
:)
 

bigdancehawk

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Here's another one, just posted:

Many people have found vaporizers to be a powerful smoking cessation tool. Those who have switched have lowered their blood pressure, improved respiratory health, dramatically cut their risk of contracting lung cancer, and improved their lifespan. They are no longer a detriment to non-smokers, reeking of stale smoke and ash. People have improved their lives, and what sort of publicity has this gotten? Complete, unwarranted negativity. It seems as though media and local governments have fought fervently to restrict the use and availability of such products. For what reason, I cannot fathom.

There are millions of ex-smokers using these products. Most have tried nicotine gum, nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges and/or nicotine inhalers, all to no avail. Many have also tried hypnotism, cold turkey, counseling and prescription drugs such as Welbutrin and Chantix. I did. None worked.

Smoking causes lung cancer. Vaping is a non-carcinogenic alternative to smoking. In effect, vaping prevents lung cancer.

So, imagine there was a low cost cure for cancer developed in, say, Tibet. The medicine must be vaporized and inhaled. And further imagine that public health organizations, funded largely be Big Pharma, proclaimed that there is “insufficient evidence” as to its efficacy and safety, noting that it “may” or “might” or “could” cause long term harm.

Information spreads about the new medicine by word of mouth and social media and increasing numbers of cancer victims start using the medicine. They inhale it in bars, parks, offices and sports arenas. Internet forums spring up with tens of thousands of members, all stating that the drug from Tibet has cured their cancer after all other forms of treatment had failed.

Public health organizations publicly wring their hands, proclaiming that it is not FDA approved, that kids might get their hands on it, drink it and die, even though there is no evidence that this has actually ever occurred. They worry that it could “re-normalize” smoking if cancer victims are seen inhaling the medicine in public.

The press publishes these alarmist pronouncements, writing, “This drug could be harmful to little children. There have been reports of poisonings,” while dismissing the testimonials of tens of thousands of cancer survivors as “mere anecdotes.”

States and municipalities ban public inhalation of the life saving vapor. Henceforth, cancer victims will have to go outdoors to take their medicine, huddled with cigarette smokers like lepers in designated smoking areas, inhaling carcinogenic (supposedly) second hand smoke.

Entrepreneurs spring up, marketing the medicine in different flavors and developing sophisticated delivery devices. Word is spreading and more and more cancer victims are inhaling the medicine. The FDA decides this is intolerable and promulgates regulations requiring that each iteration of the medicine and delivery devices secure pre-marketing approval with elaborate testing and extensive submissions. Public health organizations submit comments campaigning for even more stringent requirements. Inquiries to poison control hotlines (e.g., “I spilled a drop of this on my little girl and an hour later she sneezed. Will she die?”) are reported as “poisonings.” Fear spreads among the populace that the cure may be worse than the disease. Public health organizations proclaim that FDA approved drugs are “proven effective,” whereas the medicine from Tibet is not. The FDA adopts stringent regulations and most of the manufacturers and retailers drop out of the market. Consequently, fewer and fewer cancer victims try the medicine and more and more die.

That's the path you've chosen with your proposed regulations.
 

ColoKaren

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Here was mine:

Agency: Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Document Type: Rulemaking
Title: Deeming Tobacco Products To Be Subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as Amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act; Regulations on the Sale and Distribution of Tobacco Products and Required Warning Statements for Tobacco Products; Extension of Comment Period
Document ID: FDA-2014-N-0189-20870
Comment:
I was a pack-a-day smoker for 35 years, quitting during pregnancy and nursing. I tried everything to quit, including patches, gums, and drugs. Nothing worked for me except e-cigarettes. I quit for 8 months in 2008 using an early e-cigarette, but started smoking again when I couldn't find a replacement when the product gave up the ghost. I quit again--and have stayed quit--since May of 2013, after finding a more reliable "mod." I crave cigarettes every, single day, but the e-cigarettes keep that and my insanity at bay.

I made the switch from cigarettes in two days using tobacco flavored e-juice, but switched to dessert and fruit flavorings after a couple of weeks. The flavors are very important to me, as these keep me from giving up and going back to smoking cigarettes. I prefer mango and other fruit blends, chocolate blends, and apple pie, but my go-to flavor is Sweet Tart. If the juice didn't taste good, I would be tempted back into smoking just based on that. If you've never smoked cigarettes, you wouldn't understand; it is what it is, and every, single vaper I know feels the same way.

I am healthier than I've been in years. I no longer cough up grey-colored garbage every morning; I no longer sound like a freight train when I breathe; I no longer pass out after climbing a flight of stairs. I know that if I couldn't vape, I'd be back on cigarettes again. Please stop messing with e-cigs; do you really want people like me to smoke cancer sticks again?!
 

zoiDman

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Leaving a comment adds to the weight of public resistance to the proposed regulations.

In itself, it is of no value. It will of course be completely ignored. We are responding to a whitewash exercise by one of the most corrupt organisations on the planet, whose controllers absolutely do not care a jot for public health. But: when counted and when examined for useful content, it is indeed worthwhile because it provides a basis for legal challenge.

Unless there are successful legal challenges to the proposed regulations, and then to the increasingly harsh measures they will add if the first tranche is successful, then legal vaping as we know it is finished. All products will have to be sourced from the black market.

Therefore, we all need to do what we can to assist the legal challenges, and unless you wish to contribute $10,000 then the next best thing is to respond to these consultation exercises: you are providing something to work with for the people who will have to foot the bill and who will fight for your right to life and health.

Absolutely.

It also puts Congressional Reps on Notice that people are going to be Watching how they Deal with the Proposed Regulations when they reach Congress for Approval.
 

CabinetGuyScott

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Following the good DrMa's example, I submitted 5 additional comments.

I premised 4 of them on Doc's examples from his blogs, #14, #2, #6 and #8:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ing-re-reviews-evidence-hajek-farsalinos.html

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-8-fda-deeming-re-appropriate-regulation.html

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/drma/6507-micro-comment-6-fda-deeming-re-flavors.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/drma/6494-fda-micro-comment-example-2.html

I also did another with Michael Marlow's FDA comment via pdf attachment - as discussed here:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ency-s-analysis-proposed-deeming-reg.html#top

Threw a few Facebook things up there too, hopefully shaming at least my family to taking the time to comment ;)

Thanks to Smokey Joe, CASAA, DrMa and everyone who's out there encouraging and pushing!!! :thumbs:
 

CabinetGuyScott

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Search this document for the word "Glantz" and you'll see...
Rampant Antismoking Signifies Grave Danger

He is a pioneer in the ANTZ world.
He is a power-player in the world of Anti-Tobacco.

And somehow, for some reason, even though electronic cigarettes are finally working towards accomplishing his goals...
He hates them even more.

His career will be over soon enough.
And then he'll have to wash cars for a living.

Not if the prospective employers ever get hold of us for character reference! :lol:
 
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