A landmark public health policy has gone into effect in the Maldives, establishing the world’s first generational smoking ban. Under the new law, anyone born after January 1, 2007, is prohibited from smoking, purchasing, or using any form of tobacco.
The legislation, introduced earlier this year by President Mohamed Muizzu, officially took effect on November 1. In a statement, the Ministry of Health described the policy as a “historic milestone in the nation’s efforts to protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation.”
The ban encompasses all tobacco products, and retailers are now required to verify the age of all buyers before completing a sale. Alongside this measure, the Maldives continues to enforce its full prohibition on the import, sale, distribution, possession, and use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices for individuals of any age.
According to the Ministry, the Generational Ban on Tobacco underscores the government’s strong intention to safeguard young people from the well-documented harms associated with tobacco use.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long classified tobacco use as a global “epidemic” and one of the most severe threats to public health. Data from the WHO indicates that tobacco consumption leads to more than seven million deaths each year, as well as extensive long-term illness and disability related to tobacco-linked diseases.
The organization also emphasizes that all forms of tobacco use are dangerous and that there is no safe level of exposure. Cigarette smoking continues to be the most widely practiced form of tobacco use worldwide.
While the Maldives is the first country to successfully enact such a generational ban, similar efforts have emerged elsewhere. New Zealand previously proposed a law that would have banned the sale of tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009, beginning in 2024, but the policy was overturned in 2023 before it could be implemented.
The United Kingdom is currently debating its own version of a generational smoking ban. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if approved, would prohibit the sale of tobacco products and vaping devices to anyone born after January 1, 2009.
