Vaping saved my life

To Whom It May Concern: I am writing this letter in response to the FDA proposed regulations on e-cigarettes. I understand that we need some regulations on e-cigs such as prohibiting the sale to minors and listing the addictive nature of nicotine on products. However, I do not agree with the expensive application process that may be mandatory for all e-cig companies. Vaping saved my life and my boyfriend’s life. He was a pack a day smoker for 10+ years and was diagnosed with cancer. Vaping helped him kick the dirty habit and he has been cancer free and smoke free for 9 months. In my opinion, vaping is nothing different than when someone uses nicotine gum or a nicotine patch in order to quit smoking. In fact, nicotine gum has 20 more ingredients than the juice used to vape. It’s even more effective in my opinion, because it allows him to continue to get the satisfaction of smoking, without the 400+ chemicals that are in cigarettes. Now that we are “vapers”, we no longer crave a cigarette. Vaping is a reduced harm method to quit smoking, besides abstaining nicotine all together. Our smell and taste is better, we breathe better, and we have a more fulfilling life. The vaping community has become our family. Through our vaping experience, we have met many small companies who produce products to vape with. These companies make a living off producing high quality juice to place in our e-cigarrettes or create devices to vape with. By making these businesses have to comply with a lengthy, expensive application process, their business will shut down. This application process will force many businesses to close down and people to lose their jobs, forcing many people to return to smoking cigarettes. I ask that you please consider this and use your power to prevent the application process into going into effect. If an application were needed to prove that vaping products are safe, that would be understandable by all. However, most of these small businesses do not have the money that big tobacco companies have and will not be able to comply if it costs thousands of dollars to get their products approved. Vaping is saving lives all together, and the vaping community is proof. I appreciate you taking the time to read my letter and hope you will stand behind us. Sincerely, Vanessa Carter