President Muizzu: Decision to ban vape due to uptick use of devices to consume drugs

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has attributed his administration’s decision to ban vapes due to the uptick of using vaping devices to consume drugs.

The President announced his decision to ban the import and use of vapes in the Maldives in a post on Monday evening.

The President, in the post, said he has instructed to ban the import of vaping devices and parts of such devices starting from November 15^th and instructed all relevant authorities to undertake all efforts necessary to ban the use, possession, production, sale, advertisement and free distribution of vapes starting from December 15^th.

In a later post on Instagram, he detailed the reasons behind the decision.

In this regard, President Muizzu underscored that vapes have been unregulated for years in the Maldives, with concerns over the health risks it poses to people, particularly young children.

He underscored that there has been an uptick in using vape devices to consume drugs – which is a grave concern as the new methods of distribution have made controlling substances significantly challenging with younger generations falling victim to such mechanisms and increased cases of overdose.

“What I envision for the future is a smoke-free, healthy society, where we can protect our young ones,” he added.

As per President Muizzu, over 600,000 vape devices have been imported to the Maldives over the past five years.

Attorney General Ahmed Usham, via a post on X following the President's announcement, said efforts were underway to submit the relevant amendments required to enforce the ban to the parliament. In this regard, he said efforts are underway to submit amendments to the Import and Export Act and and Tobacco Control Act within the course of this week.  

The government’s decision which amid calls from various organizations to ban tobacco products in the Maldives, particularly vape and e-cigarettes, was met with praise.