Maldives becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking by year of birth
4 November 08:26
The Maldives has become the first country to introduce a “generational” ban on tobacco smoking – from now on, smoking, buying and selling tobacco products is prohibited for everyone born after January 1, 2007. This was reported by CNN, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs
The ban came into force on Saturday, the Ministry of Health of the Maldives said. They called the decision “a historic step in the fight for the nation’s health and the creation of a tobacco-free generation.”
“The Maldives has become the first country in the world to introduce a complete intergenerational tobacco ban at the national level,” the ministry said.
Why it is important
According to the World Health Organization, smoking causes more than 7 million deaths worldwide each year.
In the Maldives, according to a national survey in 2021, more than 25% of the adult population (15-69 years old) regularly used tobacco.
Among adolescents aged 13-15, this figure was almost twice as high.
For comparison, in the United States, about 20% of adults smoked in 2022, and in the United Kingdom, about 12% (2023).
Smoking ban by age
The Maldives is the first country to fully implement such a ban, but not the first to try.
In 2022, New Zealand passed a similar law that was supposed to ban the sale of tobacco to everyone born after January 1, 2009. However, a year later, the government repealed the law to use the funds raised to cut taxes, causing outrage among doctors and anti-smoking organizations.
In the UK, the Parliament is currently considering a new version of the bill, which also provides for a ban on the sale of tobacco to people born after January 1, 2009.
British doctors called on the government to pass the law without delay, as over 120,000 young Britons have taken up smoking in the last six months alone.
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Maldives already struggling with nicotine addiction
The new law is part of a large-scale anti-tobacco campaign that the Maldives has been conducting for several years.
At the end of 2024, the country will completely ban the import, production, sale, and use of e-cigarettes, regardless of the age of the user.
The archipelago’s authorities also plan to create a network of smoking cessation clinics and even offered monetary rewards to islanders who completely quit tobacco.
We remind you that the prevalence of cigarette smoking among Ukrainian teenagers has remained stable over the past seven years – 12% of schoolchildren have the habit. At the same time, almost one in five (19.6%) uses e-cigarettes.
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