General Assembly

Understanding the wide recreational usage of tobacco and other products containing nicotine;

Recognizing the addictive nature of nicotine;

Noting the exorbitant health care costs users of tobacco products incur due to the adverse health effects associated with tobacco, which in many cases, result in the death of member nation's own citizens at a young age, and further noting that in nations with government funded health care systems, the high tax-revenue cost associated with treating these health effects;

Acknowledging the popularity and lesser health risks of electronic cigarettes as an alternative to tobacco based products;

Emphasizing that the goal of this resolution is not to prevent people from purchasing tobacco and electronic cigarette products, but to establish a set of regulations on these industries and to promote the education of the risks associated with them;

The World Assembly hereby;

• Defines a "tobacco product" as a product containing tobacco plant for the intent of recreational consumption. These products include, but are not limited to, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and hookah;

• Further defines an "electronic cigarette" as a device containing a liquid that is vaporized and inhaled, used to simulate the experience of smoking tobacco;

• Mandates that all tobacco and electronic cigarette products containing nicotine which are intended for recreational consumption must be labeled with an identifier that states, “This product contains nicotine, a chemical known to be addictive;” and must take up at least 15% of the packaging of the product. This warning should be printed in the language local to the intended marketplace;

• Requires that tobacco products must be labelled with an identifier which states, “This product is known to cause several types of cancer and other long term, serious health problems. If you are currently pregnant, consumption is known to cause birth defects;” and must take up at least 15% of the packaging of the product. This warning should be printed in the language local to the intended marketplace;

• Further requires that electronic cigarette products that contain a liquid intended to be vaporized must state, “Do not ingest. Keep out of reach of children and infants.” This warning must take up at least 15% of the packaging of the product. This warning should be printed in the language local to the intended marketplace;

• Demands that member nations educate all residents on the long term effects of tobacco use, by funding informational campaigns, targeted at both minor and adult smokers, encouraging them to quit smoking or to replace tobacco products with electronic cigarettes or related products, while also funding informational campaigns targeted at non-smokers, using pictures, detailed descriptions, and/or other forms of media to demonstrate the negative effects associated with tobacco product usage;

Furthermore,

Recommends member nations establish poison control centers, which shall provide emergency control services in the event that a tobacco or electronic cigarette product is improperly ingested;

Encourages member nations to prohibit the sale of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes to minors;

Urges member nations to prohibit advertisements for tobacco products;

Further encourages member nations to consider taking further action against tobacco use, especially among minors.

Co-authored by Akohos and Courelli