Maldives becomes the first country to impose a generational ban on smoking

The Maldives has become the first country in the world to impose a generational smoking ban, barring anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from ever smoking, purchasing or using tobacco.

The Maldives has become the first country in the world to impose a generational smoking ban, barring anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from ever smoking, purchasing or using tobacco.

“The ban applies to all forms of tobacco, and retailers are required to verify age prior to sale,” the health ministry said Saturday as the ban came into effect.

The step “makes the Maldives the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide generational tobacco ban,” it added.

The South Asian archipelago, which has a population of over half a million, already enforces a complete ban on vapes and electronic cigarettes — regardless of age — in an effort to cut down on smoking across the country.

Tobacco is responsible for nearly 7 million global deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization, which calls the “tobacco epidemic” one of the “biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.”