“A generation that will never legally smoke — the Maldives becomes the first nation to turn the tobacco endgame from policy into practice.”
From 1 November 2025, the Maldives became the first country in the world to enforce a generational tobacco ban. Anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 can never legally buy, use, or be sold tobacco products in the country — a lifetime prohibition that will expand with each passing year.
Parliament passed the Second Amendment to the Tobacco Control Act in May 2025, and President Mohamed Muizzu signed it into law. This historic step makes the Maldives the global pioneer in implementing what public health experts call a “tobacco endgame” strategy — not just proposing it, but actually bringing it into force.
⚖️ What the Law Says
The Second Amendment to the Tobacco Control Act (Act No. 15/2010) was passed on 13 May 2025 and ratified by President Mohamed Muizzu on 21 May 2025. The amendment introduces three major provisions:
- Generational Ban: Bans sale, purchase, and use of all tobacco products for people born on or after 1 January 2007
- Employment Restriction: Stops anyone under 21 from working in tobacco-related businesses
- Marketing Ban: Blocks all tobacco advertising and sponsorship
This builds on an earlier amendment in November 2024 that had already banned the import, sale, distribution, and use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices across the country.
Think of it like a “no entry” sign that moves forward with time. If you were born in 2007 or later, you can never legally buy tobacco in the Maldives — not at 18, not at 30, not ever. Each year, a new cohort joins this tobacco-free generation.
📅 Timeline and Who It Covers
The rules apply equally to residents and visitors. Tourism notices explicitly state that tourists must follow the same bans and face confiscation and penalties if they break them. This is significant given that tourism is the backbone of the Maldivian economy.
Key Date Pattern: Vape import ban (15 Nov 2024) → Vape use ban (15 Dec 2024) → Generational tobacco ban (1 Nov 2025). Remember: “November-December-November” sequence.
🚭 Vaping Ban and Penalties
The vaping rules are absolute and comprehensive. They cover import, sale, possession, use, manufacture, promotion, and free supply of vape products. Unlike the generational tobacco ban (which applies to a specific cohort), the vape ban applies to everyone in the Maldives.
| Offence | Penalty (MVR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Using or possessing a vape device | MVR 5,000 | Applies to everyone |
| Selling vape products | MVR 20,000 + MVR 10,000 per device | Cumulative penalty |
| Giving vape products away free | MVR 10,000 | Includes gifts and samples |
| Supplying vape products to minors | Additional MVR 50,000 | On top of other penalties |
| Selling tobacco to underage buyers | Up to MVR 50,000 | Applies to under-21 and post-2007 cohort |
Don’t confuse: The vaping ban applies to EVERYONE (universal). The generational tobacco ban applies only to those born on/after 1 January 2007 (cohort-specific). These are two separate but complementary measures.
👮 How Enforcement Works
The 2025 amendment establishes clear protocols for handling seized tobacco and vape products. Enforcement creates two verification checks for sellers:
- Age Check: Minimum age of 21 for tobacco purchase
- Birth Year Check: Anyone born in 2007 or later faces a lifetime ban
Shops must verify both age and birth year before any tobacco sale. The government launched extensive awareness campaigns through the national broadcaster, briefing residents, tourists, and businesses on the rules and penalties before implementation.
For tourists arriving with vape devices: officials will seize them at entry points and return them only upon departure. This creates a unique “custody” system where devices are held but not confiscated permanently for visitors.
🎯 Why the Maldives Moved Now
The Maldives joined the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005. The FCTC calls for strong measures including youth sales bans, advertising restrictions, and tax measures. The new law directly implements these treaty obligations.
Government statements frame the generational ban as part of a long-term “tobacco endgame” strategy. WHO data showing over 7 million annual deaths from tobacco (including over 1 million from second-hand smoke) provided the public health justification for this aggressive approach.
🌍 Global Context and Comparisons
New Zealand passed a generational tobacco law in 2022 but repealed it in February 2024 before it could take effect. That repeal also abandoned plans for very low nicotine cigarettes and sharp cuts in retail outlets.
After New Zealand’s reversal, the Maldives became the first state to actually enforce a generational ban in practice — not just pass one on paper. This distinction is crucial for exam purposes: the Maldives is not the first to propose such a law, but the first to implement it.
| Aspect | Maldives | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Generational Ban Passed | May 2025 | December 2022 |
| Status | Enforced (1 Nov 2025) | Repealed (Feb 2024) |
| Birth Year Cutoff | 1 January 2007 | 1 January 2009 (was planned) |
| Vaping Approach | Total ban | Was regulated, not banned |
| Global Significance | First to enforce | First to propose, then repeal |
Key Distinction: New Zealand = First to PASS (2022), then REPEALED (2024). Maldives = First to ENFORCE (2025). Remember: “NZ proposed, Maldives delivered.”
📈 Health and Economic Effects
A cohort ban aims to shrink the pool of new smokers each year. In a small population like the Maldives, even a modest drop in smoking initiation can create visible changes in long-term prevalence rates.
The complete vape ban adds another protective layer, targeting teenagers who often enter nicotine use through vaping before transitioning to cigarettes. Evidence gathered by WHO links comprehensive tobacco controls to lower smoking prevalence and reduced hospitalizations for tobacco-related diseases.
While the state must invest in border checks, market inspections, and public education, reduced spending on heart disease, cancer, and other tobacco-linked illnesses can offset these costs over time.
⚖️ Legal and Rights Questions
A generational ban raises questions of equal treatment. People born before 2007 keep the right to buy and use tobacco (within other limits), while people born after face a lifetime prohibition. Is this discriminatory?
Age-based rules already exist in many countries for alcohol and tobacco. Courts generally accept such thresholds when lawmakers set clear public health goals. In the Maldivian model, the state justifies the cohort restriction as:
- Youth protection aligned with FCTC treaty obligations
- A public health measure with clear evidence basis
- Logically consistent with existing age-based tobacco restrictions
The law creates a permanent two-tier society: those who can legally use tobacco and those who cannot, divided solely by birth year. As the “tobacco-free generation” ages, will this distinction become more contentious or more accepted?
⚠️ Risks, Gaps, and What to Watch
Black Markets: Strict rules can push sales underground. The Maldives must pair the ban with strong port checks and local inspections suited to its island geography.
Tourist Compliance: Given that tourism dominates the economy, resorts and guesthouses need clear notices. Advisories already warn travelers not to bring vape devices.
Quit Support: Current smokers outside the banned cohort need help to stop. Government reports mention planned clinics and support schemes, but their scale and effectiveness remain to be seen.
Data Transparency: Regular public data on seizures, fines, and enforcement patterns will show whether the focus is on sellers and smugglers or on individual users.
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The generational tobacco ban in Maldives took effect on 1 November 2025, making it the first country to enforce such a measure.
Anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 is covered by the lifetime tobacco ban. The 2009 date was the planned cutoff for New Zealand’s law before it was repealed.
New Zealand passed a generational tobacco law in 2022 but repealed it in February 2024 before it could take effect.
The vaping ban applies to EVERYONE in the Maldives – residents and tourists alike. The generational tobacco ban is cohort-specific (post-2007 births only).
The Maldives joined the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005, which provides the international legal basis for its tobacco control measures.
