The Maldives has introduced a brand recent laws, banning anyone born after January 1, 2007, from smoking.
This implies anyone born after the date won’t have the opportunity to buy, use or be sold tobacco products – each Maldives residents and visitors alike.
President Mohamed Muizzu said the groundbreaking move is in a bid to assist ‘protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation’.
And those that break the brand new law could face a positive of as much as £2,500 for selling tobacco, or £240 for vaping.
Similar proposals have been floated within the UK, with MPs previously backing a bill which might mean no one born after 2009 can ever legally buy tobacco products.
Though no country has outright banned smoking for everybody, Bhutan has come pretty close.
The tiny Himalayan country outlawed smoking in all public places in 2005, and five years later, it banned the sale and production of tobacco within the country. Anyone selling tobacco faced three to 5 years in prison.
Nonetheless, in 2020, Bhutan lifted the ban in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country desired to keep its borders closed to guard people from the coronavirus.
Nonetheless, black market tobacco smugglers from India, where Covid-19 cases were high, tried to get into the country.
So, the tobacco ban was lifted to attempt to stop cross-border smuggling and limit the spread of the virus. Nonetheless, the country still has laws in place to quit smoking in public places.
Mexico, where around 16% of the adult population smokes, also has a few of the world’s strictest tobacco laws.
There’s a ban on smoking in all public spaces, including parks and beaches.
And the UK’s hottest holiday destination also made the move to limit smoking and vaping, which, if passed, could change travel for 1000’s.
A bill in Spain, introduced on September 9, proposes to ban the usage of vapes, e-cigarettes, and cigarettes across outdoor venues, including bars and restaurants, bus stops, stadiums and, most significantly for us Brits, beaches.
Smoking and vaping have turn into increasingly popular with young people, with NHS research revealing nearly 10% of youngsters within the UK aged 11 to fifteen vape regularly.
It’s an issue in Spain too, alongside statistics from the country’s health ministry showing greater than 50,000 people die there annually from smoking-related causes.
The Spanish health minister, Monica Garcia, told reporters: ‘We’ll all the time put public health ahead of personal interests. Everyone has a right to breathe clean air… and live longer and higher lives.’
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