Govt Enforces Lifetime Smoking Ban For Those Born After 2007

The Maldives has made history by becoming the first country in the world to fully enforce a generational smoking ban, prohibiting anyone born after January 1, 2007, from purchasing or using tobacco products.

According to the country’s Health Ministry, the new rule which officially took effect on November 1 aims to protect public health and create a “tobacco-free generation.” The regulation was introduced earlier this year under President Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.

“Individuals born on or after January 1, 2007, are prohibited from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products within the Maldives,” the ministry announced in a statement. It added that the law applies to all forms of tobacco and mandates that retailers verify the age of every buyer before making a sale.

Interestingly, the ban doesn’t only affect Maldivian citizens. It also extends to tourists visiting the island nation, which is globally renowned for its luxury resorts and stunning coral islets spread across the Indian Ocean.

Under the new regulation, anyone caught selling tobacco to underage persons faces a fine of 50,000 rufiyaa (about $3,200), while individuals found using vape devices risk a fine of 5,000 rufiyaa (around $320).

A ministry spokesperson said the policy is designed to “ensure that future generations are free from the harms of tobacco addiction and the burden of tobacco-related diseases.”

While the United Kingdom is still debating a similar policy, the Maldives has now taken the global lead in enforcing it. New Zealand, which pioneered the generational smoking ban, repealed its version of the law in late 2023 less than a year after it was introduced.
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