President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has appealed to stop selling cigarettes in the Maldives, saying it’s not something that should be done in the country. He made these remarks during a podcast titled “With the People” conducted by the President’s Office. The President said that while banning vapes wasn’t easy, the government has successfully done so, and now the focus is on saving youth and others from cigarettes and tobacco products.
“We’ve now banned vapes. Next, I’m urging youth and people of all ages to stay away from smoking cigarettes and using tobacco products. We increased the price for this purpose,” the President said.
The President explained that along with banning vapes, they increased duties on tobacco products and raised cigarette prices to discourage their sale. He acknowledged it’s a difficult task but believes gradually increasing taxes won’t solve the issue.
The President stated that such practices are not appropriate for this small country. He appealed to cigarette importers and traders to abandon this business.
“Increasing taxes bit by bit won’t work. So I’m asking cigarette importers to give people a chance to adjust, and I’m requesting those who import and trade cigarettes to give up this business. This is not something we should be doing,” the President said.
Noting that young people in the Maldives, like in other countries, get into smoking or tobacco use and then struggle to quit, the President said it’s best to prevent tobacco use before it starts in youth, as it’s easier to stop then.
“I’ll float this idea to the public. I’m proposing a few options. One is to make it so that all children born from January 1, 2007, onwards, including future births, cannot use cigarettes or tobacco products throughout their lives. The second option is to keep all children born from January 1, 2004, onwards away from cigarettes or tobacco use,” the President said.
The President mentioned that he has tasked the Health Minister with preparing a cabinet paper and conducting studies to save youth from the tobacco epidemic. He also said they will seek advice and consultation from relevant local authorities and doctors on this matter.
