MALDIVES LOCKS OUT FUTURE GENERATIONS FROM SMOKING

Sat 01 November 2025:

The Maldives implemented a generational ban on tobacco Saturday, marking a historic milestone in its efforts to protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.

“The Generational Ban on Tobacco reflects the Government’s strong commitment to protecting young people from the harms of tobacco and aligns with the Maldives’ obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” said a statement.

The law, ratified by President Mohamed Muizzu in May, establishes the Maldives as the first country to implement a nationwide generational tobacco ban.

Individuals born on or after Jan. 1, 2007, are banned from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products in the Maldives. The ban covers all types of tobacco, and retailers must verify the age of buyers before making a sale.

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The Maldives enforces a strict ban on the import, sale, distribution, possession, and use of electronic cigarettes and vaping products, which applies to everyone, regardless of age.

Tobacco isn’t universally outlawed because the UN’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC, 2003) sets guidelines—taxes, ads bans, warnings—but leaves enforcement to 182 countries.

Tobacco generates $1.5 trillion annually in sales; supports 60 million jobs in farming/processing (e.g., China, India produce 60% of world supply). Bans would crash economies—governments collect $300B+ in taxes yearly.

Big Tobacco (Philip Morris, BAT) spends billions lobbying; nicotine hooks 1.3 billion users. Partial bans (e.g., Bhutan’s 2004 sales ban) fail due to smuggling; WHO estimates 8 million deaths/year, but addiction resists total prohibition.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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