I begin smoking at age 17 and was a pack a day smoker for over 30 years. At 40 I had my first hear attack, I had two stents placed in the arteries to my heart and continued to smoke. At 42 I had my second heart attack, two more stents and still continued to smoke. At 43 and 44 I had more two more stents and still continued to smoke. On a Friday in August 2010 I had another stent placed (7th stent) and one week later I had my third heart attack. The following Monday I had open heart surgery and a bypass was performed. Once home and within one month of surgery I continued to smoke. That is an example of how strong the urge to smoke can be for someone. I tried many times over 30 years to quit, patches for a few weeks, gum for a few days, but always continued to smoke. Then in February 2012 I discovered the electronic cigarette. On February 4th, I stopped by a small convenience store near my home and picked up a cheap electronic cigarette and have not touched a regular cigarette since nor have a I ever wanted one. I have had a discussion with my cardiologist and he is supportive of my decision. In his words, anything that keeps you from smoking is a WIN. It’s not the nicotine that is harmful, it’s the combustion of tobacco. Seeing my success, in October 2012 my wife stopped smoking and started vaping using electronic cigarettes. She has not had nor wanted a cigarette since. I have a total of four friends that have all seen my success and asked for my recommendation on which electronic cigarette to buy. After purchasing theirs, now they too are smoke free. I cannot imagine why the federal government would seek to ban a product that can, and HAS, helped so many people stop smoking, yet allow cigarettes to be sold legally.