Maldives bans vaping products
October 18, 2024
Par: National Committee Against Smoking
Dernière mise à jour: October 16, 2024
Temps de lecture: 3 minutes
In a proactive effort to combat nicotine addiction and protect public health, the Maldives has become the latest country to implement a ban on e-cigarettes. President Mohamed Muizzu announced that he has instructed the relevant authorities to take necessary measures to ban the importation of vaping devices, accessories and spare parts from 15 November this year.[1].
From December 15, the ban will also apply to the manufacture, sale, free distribution, promotion, possession, use of vaping devices nationwide.
A ban requested by civil society
The move follows a significant number of representations from public health, sports and parent associations who have called on the government to act quickly on these devices, which are increasingly being used by adolescents. According to the Health Protection Agency, recent statistics on tobacco and nicotine consumption among children aged 13 to 15 in the Maldives indicate that 17.1% of boys and 10.7% of girls in this age group regularly use e-cigarettes. In response, the government announced a complete ban on these devices, marking one of the drastic measures taken by the Maldivian government in recent years regarding tobacco and nicotine products.
Proposed amendments to existing laws will be sent to Parliament later this week, in order to facilitate the ban. Vaping devices were already regulated like other tobacco products in the country and subject to the same restrictions (prohibition of sale to minors, prohibition of consumption in public spaces, etc.).
A ban effective in more and more countries in the world
As the WHO reminds us[2], urgent action is needed to better regulate vaping devices to protect young people, as well as non-smokers, and to minimise adverse health impacts on the population. Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are called upon to regulate vaping products in line with the state of the tobacco epidemic. This may include banning these products. To date, 42 countries have either completely banned the sale of e-cigarettes or are planning to do so: Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Bahrain; Bhutan; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; North Korea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Marshall Islands; India; Iran; Iraq; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan (pending); Laos; Malaysia; Mauritius; Mexico; Nepal; Nicaragua; Norway; Oman; Panama; Qatar; Seychelles; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Uzbekistan (pending); Suriname; Syria; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela.
Other countries, such as Belgium and France, have banned the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes, which are particularly popular among young adolescents.
AE
[1] Maldives announces vape ban, amendments to be sent to Parliament this week, The Edition, published October 14, 2024, accessed October 15, 2024
[2] Communicated, Urgent action needed to protect children from taking up e-cigarettes, WHO, published December 14, 2023, accessed October 15, 2024
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