The Maldivian government has formulated new regulations empowering the police to confiscate and dispose of vaping devices and e-cigarettes – which have been banned in the Maldives since mid-December.
The general regulation on tobacco control was published on the Government Gazette on Wednesday afternoon.
The regulation empowers law enforcement agencies to seize vaping devices found in possession of people, even if they aren’t smoking it. People found in possession of vaping devices will be fined MVR 2,000, and refusal to follow instructions from the police will be met with an additional fine of MVR 50,000.
And if the party that refuses to comply is a legal business entity, then the entity will be slapped with an MVR 100,000 fine and can have their license revoked.
The regulation requires confiscated vaping devices to be disposed of with necessary environmental safety measures in place.
The ban on the import, sale, free distribution, and use of vaping devices and e-cigarettes in the Maldives took effect on December 15, 2024.
Information released by the police show that the state imposed MVR 130,500 in fines on 23 people for 28 violations of the ban by the end of January.