The world-first ban prohibits anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from ever buying, using or smoking 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.
Ah makes sense. I think the heart is in the right place for these sorts of bans but prohibition just doesn’t work. Tobacco usage is already way down since the 50s and that’s been because of education, not prohibition. Banning it just makes it seem cool again
Yes, it won’t work. But tobacco use in the Maldives has apparently not followed the trend of the rest of the world since the 50s. From the article:
Half is insane.
So there is clearly a driving factor behind that, it would seem more beneficial to address that instead of a blanket ban that is guaranteed to make things worse. Wonder why smoking is so prevalant there?
Edit: dodnt get a clear answer on why, but it seems smoking is deeply embedded in their culture. 43% of men aged 15 or older smoke, while its only 4% of women in the same group smoke. Theyve also been trying to put an end to smoking for almost a decade now, not sure how much it has helped as i just cant find much info on them.
Yep, smoking is down because of it being a taboo thing now. You make it illegal…and you got another drug war on your hands.
Prohibition will never work.