Maldives first in South Asia with generational smoking ban

The ban applies to all visitors, making tourists subject to the same restrictions as Maldivian youth

The ban applies to all forms of tobacco and retailers are required to verify a person’s age prior to sale. Reuters

The Maldives has banned smoking for all young people born on or after Jan 1, 2007, becoming the only country in South Asia to impose a generational prohibition on tobacco, according to The Independent.

The new law, which came into effect on Nov 1, means that it is now illegal for those under the age limit to buy or sell tobacco in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

The country’s health ministry described the move as a “historic milestone in the nation's efforts to protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation”.

It added that the new law “reflects the government's strong commitment to protecting young people from the harms of tobacco”.

Selling tobacco products to an underage person now carries a fine of 50,000 rufiyaa (£2,465), while using vape devices carries a fine of 5,000 rufiyaa (£246).

The ban applies to all forms of tobacco and retailers are required to verify a person’s age prior to sale.

The new law also applies to visitors to the luxury holiday destination.

However, Ahmed Afaal, vice chair of the archipelago's tobacco control board, told The Independent he does not believe the ban will have an adverse effect on tourism to the region.

“People don't come to the Maldives because they're able to smoke,” he said. “They come for the beaches, they come for the sea, they come for the sun, and they come for the fresh air.”

He added that there had been no tourist cancellations and that the number of visitors had increased over the past year.

“We're projecting more than 2 million [tourists] in the next year,” he said.

The move follows the South Asian country’s decision to ban the import, sale, use, possession or distribution of electronic cigarettes and vaping products in 2024.

According to the UN’s health body, the new ruling “provides a global response to a global problem – namely, the tobacco epidemic.”

A similar ban introduced in New Zealand in 2022 was scrapped the following year after a new government took power.

And in the UK, a similar proposal by former prime minister Rishi Sunak is currently going through the legislative process.