The Maldives has become the first country to impose a generational smoking ban – making smoking, buying and selling tobacco illegal for anyone born after January 1, 2007.
The ban took effect on Saturday in the South Asian archipelago, “marking a historic milestone in the nation’s efforts to protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation,” said the country’s Ministry of Health.
This measure “makes the Maldives the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide generational tobacco ban,” it added.
Smoking causes more than seven million deaths globally each year, according to the World Health Organization. As of 2021, more than a quarter of the Maldives’ adult population (aged 15 to 69) used tobacco, according to a national survey. That rate was almost double for young teens aged 13 to 15.
By comparison, close to 20% of adults in the United States used tobacco in 2022, and almost 12% of adults in the United Kingdom were smokers in 2023.
Continue reading the complete article on the original source
