It is the first generational ban. It prohibits the sale, use and possession of tobacco products to people born on or after 1 January 2007. Effective 1 November 2025, the rule, proposed by President Mohamed Muizzu and approved by the government, covers not only citizens but also visitors, making the Maldives the first state in the world to introduce a ban that aims to create a tobacco-free generation.
The goal has been stated: to protect public health and prevent young and very young people from accessing tobacco products throughout their lives.
The practical scope of the measure is far-reaching: sellers are obliged to check age and birth certificate, and there are severe penalties for violators, ranging from confiscations to fines that can reach substantial amounts for merchants. The measure, then, fits into a general framework already laid out by the Maldivian government, which in previous months had banned the sale and import of vaping devices and increased duties on tobacco and cigarettes. But why this decision?
Over the past few years, several countries have considered the idea of a tobacco-free generation, such as New Zealand, which had proposed such a ban with the 2009 cut-off, but few jurisdictions have come up with enforceable legislation that includes tourists. For the Maldives, an island state with a heavily tourism-dependent economy and tobacco-related health problems, therefore, the strategy has been presented as a preventive measure: reducing long-term smoking prevalence means lowering future health costs and improving the country’s image as a “clean” destination.
The environmental impact of smoking
A ban, this one, that splits public opinion in two: on the one hand those who look with enthusiasm on the measure, and on the other those who fear a boost to the black market and the practical difficulties of enforcement on the scattered atolls.
Those who rejoice, however, are certainly the environment. Cigarette butts—persistent plastic waste—are among the sources of urban and marine pollution: filters are made primarily of cellulose acetate, a synthetic fibre that does not readily biodegrade, and contain a mixture of toxic chemicals (such as residual nicotine, heavy metals, polycyclic hydrocarbons) that can be released into the environment when they are discarded. And international studies and reports have estimated that billions of butts are thrown onto the ground, beach or sea each year, responsible for hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plastic microfibres released into nature.
This is particularly critical for the Maldives, as the archipelago is made up of hundreds of low-lying islands with fragile coastlines and marine ecosystems that are extremely sensitive to pollution, such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, turtle and seabird populations. And butts that end up on beaches or in drainage systems are easily transported to the sea, where they release toxins and microplastics that harm wildlife and alter biological processes.
A sufficient measure?
So, the measure adopted by the Maldives is certainly strong in its objectives, but it needs to address some concrete problems. For example, the black market, tourism and international law will have to be dealt with. And the prosecution of tourists could generate negative resonance if the controls are poorly managed. Still, the ban itself does not remove already dispersed butts from the environment, so it will need to be accompanied by collection campaigns, waste management infrastructure, and investment in environmental education.
But one fact remains: the Maldivian ban is not just a law, but a call to rethink the future. And if a small nation can imagine a tobacco-free generation, perhaps the rest of the world can also learn to believe that change is possible.
