A POPULAR holiday hotspot has left an entire generation completely banned from smoking.
Under a sweeping new law, thousands will never be legally able to light up, buy, or even use tobacco in the paradise destination.
The Maldives, famed for its turquoise waters and luxury resorts, has introduced a “generational ban” that prohibits anyone born on or after January 1, 2007, from purchasing or using tobacco products.
The law, which took effect November 1, was proposed by President Mohamed Muizzu earlier this year and marks what officials are calling a new era in public health.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health hailed the move as a “historic milestone in the nation’s efforts to protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation.”
It added: “Under the new provision, individuals born on or after 1 January 2007 are prohibited from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products within the Maldives.”
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The ban applies to all forms of tobacco, and retailers are required to check IDs before any sale.
Tourists are not exempt, meaning even visitors from abroad could be asked to prove their age before buying cigarettes.
Sellers who break the rule face fines of up to 50,000 Maldivian rufiyaa (£2,470).
The government has also doubled down on vaping.
Electronic cigarettes and vapes are completely banned in the Maldives for all ages, which means no one can import, possess, or use them.
Visitors caught with a vape at the airport will have it confiscated and can only reclaim it when leaving the country.
And anyone caught using one faces a 5,000 rufiyaa (£247) fine.
Ahmed Afaal, vice chair of the Maldives Tobacco Control Board, said he didn’t expect the move to hurt tourism.
“People don’t come to the Maldives because they’re able to smoke,” he told the BBC.
“They come for the beaches, they come for the sea, they come for the sun, and they come for the fresh air.”
The Maldives, made up of more than a thousand coral islands, expects to welcome over two million tourists next year, maintaining its status as one of the world’s most sought-after destinations.
Globally, the World Health Organization calls tobacco use an “epidemic” and “one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced,” killing more than seven million people every year.
The WHO says there is “no safe level of exposure to tobacco.”
The Maldives is the first nation to turn the idea of a generational smoking ban into law.
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New Zealand once planned a similar measure, but it was scrapped before taking effect.
Britain is now considering its own version – the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – which would stop anyone born after January 1, 2009, from buying tobacco or vapes in the future.
Countries with full bans on vaping
Asia
- India – Complete ban on production, sale, and import of e-cigarettes.
- Thailand – Strict ban on import, export, sale, and possession; violators can face fines or jail time.
- Singapore – Total ban on sale, use, and possession.
- Nepal – Ban on sale and distribution.
- Bhutan – Sale and distribution banned.
- North Korea – No official data, but likely prohibited.
Middle East