Maldives Enforces Nationwide Tobacco Ban For People Born In 2007 And After

2025-11-01 03:12:36

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Maldives has enforced a nationwide ban on tobacco for those born in or after 2007 from Saturday, November 1. The Maldives is the only nation to have implemented a generational ban on tobacco.

“Individuals born on or after 1 January 2007 are banned from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products in the Maldives,” the official Health Ministry notification read.

President Mohamed Muizzu's office has introduced the legislation in a Cabinet meeting on April 13.

The penalties for breaching the new law were not immediately announced, but officials said they were working to amend existing tobacco control laws to bring them in line with the new legislation.

A similar law proposed in Britain is still in the legislative process, while New Zealand, the first country to enact a generational law against smoking, repealed it in November 2023, less than a year after its introduction.

The Maldives raised the legal age for smoking from 18 to 21 in November and banned the importation of e-cigarettes and vaping devices, a policy that also applies to tourists.

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