Maldives have banned the sale of single cigarettes all across the country effective from today. Furthermore, the new regulation on packaging and labeling of tobacco products will come into effect from tomorrow midnight onwards.
A cigarette pack of at least 20 cigarettes can be sold and a box of at least 50 bidi can be sold upon the ban of single cigarettes, according to the regulation published on gazette on January 31. The new regulation bans sale of other tobacco products below 30 grams. The regulation also bans single cigarette sales in shops in addition to hotels, restaurants and cafes.
Furthermore, the regulation mandates all packaging of boxes and cartons to be labelled as required by the Ministry of Health. The labelling clause will be effective from June 31, while sale without labelling packages will be banned from November 30. The regulation also states the fines incurred if violated. Moreover, the health ministry must be provided with a sample of the items before selling, as per the regulation.
Over 462 million cigarettes are imported to Maldives annually, according to statistics released by Maldives Customs Service.