Tobacco packs with design features have started to appear in stores in Maldives. It was this year’s World No Tobacco Day that marked in Maldives the entry into force of the new regulations on packaging and labelling of all tobacco products issued on 27 February 2019. The “Regulation on Packaging and Labeling Tobacco Products” was formulated by the Tobacco Control Board pursuant to the Tobacco Control Act 15/2010.

This regulation mandates all tobacco packaging to be labelled as prescribed by the Ministry of Health and companies also need to provide a sample pack of all tobacco products going on sale. It is now required that health warnings should cover 90% of the tobacco package of both main surface areas of a pack.

In addition to the labelling regulations, the regulations only allow packs of minimum 20 manufactured cigarettes (or 50 rolled cigarettes) to be sold, banning the sale of single sticks and “kiddy packs”.

According to the Preamble of the “Regulation on Packaging and Labeling Tobacco Products”, the purposes of the new regulations are to:

• Obligate concerned authorities to inform smokers, potential smokers, especially to youth, of the risks of smoking and to take appropriate measures for their protection in the sale and purchase of tobacco.
• Determine procedures for printing warning messages with pictures and photographs on the packages and cartons of products containing tobacco to illustrate the real dangers of tobacco use.
• Endeavor to reduce the number of new smokers.
• Prohibit the sale of single cigarettes.

For more information, please, contact the WHO FCTC focal point in Maldives, Dr Hassan Mohamed at the following email address: hassan@health.gov.mv