President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has decided to ban tobacco in the Maldives from next November for children born from 2007 onwards. This decision was made after discussions on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Health during today’s cabinet meeting. With the advice of the cabinet, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has decided to completely ban tobacco for children born on and after January 1, 2007. The President had previously stated that it was important to implement a “generational ban” or a ban specific to a certain age group to solve the tobacco problem in the Maldives.
In addition to introducing an age-specific ban to build a tobacco-free generation in the Maldives, the cabinet has also decided to make necessary amendments to laws and regulations to implement the ban. As such, it has been decided to give a 6-month period to implement the law from the date of ratification of the amendment to the law.
While a 6-month period has been decided to implement the law, according to the President’s Office, this period will end on November 1, 2025. Therefore, the law will come into effect from that date. Additionally, the cabinet has decided that the Ministry of Finance and Planning should provide necessary support to the Ministry of Health to strengthen tobacco cessation services.
