Holding a cigarette in between his left index and middle fingers, Mohamed Yooshau* tells the story of his life. Every few minutes, he lifts up the coffee cup and takes a slow sip.
Yooshau was not born with a golden spoon. His parents do not belong to the elite blue bloods. Everything he wants in life, he does with hard work, commitment and perseverance.
He is now 27 years old. Yooshau, who started his career as a shopkeeper in a small store, today works in a responsible job in an independent institution. Although he barely passed his A/L examination, he is now in his third year of a first degree course. His results have so far been positive.
Soon he will find a life partner and settle down. His living standard has improved, allowing him to get married and begin his own family. He also dreams of allowing his mother to become a grand mother while she is still alive and well.
Everything is going the way Yooshau wants. But he has a big problem. There is something he needs to fix. Yooshau believes he is an addict. He is addicted to cigarettes. The only thing in life that he tried to do but failed to achieve was quit smoking.
"In reality its an addiction. I usually smoke socially, when I'm having coffee with friends. I want to stop. But I don't know how to do it. I've personally tried to quit. But I'm not able to," he said.
This is not just Yooshau's struggle. Three years ago, a survey published in 2022 showed that 113,414 people in the Maldives were smokers. That's 26 percent of the population. According to the survey, 39.9 percent of smokers have tried to quit but have failed.
The abrupt cigarette policy
Among the policies pursued by the government of Mohamed Muizzu, the policies against tobacco have been shaped in a way that greatly affects the common citizen.
The government has increased the tax on cigarettes and tobacco by 100 percent in November 2024 to discourage the public from smoking. Another change was the ban on vaping throughout the country.
In addition to tax increases and a ban on vaping, the government's most notable change is the introduction of a generational ban on cigarettes. People born after January 2007 cannot smoke in the Maldives. On November 1, 2025, the generational came into effect.
While anti-smoking policies were introduced, the government introduced several other measures, including banning smoking in public places and establishing cessation clinics in all the islands. It also includes a financial incentive for islands that stop smoking altogether.
The government introduced all the measures while efforts were underway to form a master plan to work against tobacco. The measures were taken before the master plan was formed. In October 2024, Muizzu asked the cabinet to prepare an anti-tobacco master plan.
The failing cigarette policy?
The restrictions have brought about a major change to the Maldives. But, nearly a year after the major change, no relevant government agency has conducted a study on the outcome of the policy. But a study was conducted by a private party.
The private party shared its study with Adhadhu after assessing cigarette imports, cigarette sales and smoking habits. Its findings ring major alarm bells.
The study shows that the use of counterfeit cigarettes and unfiltered cigarettes has increased and the number of smokers has not decreased even after the government's restrictive measures.
It found that the use of stickless rolling tobacco increased by 286 percent while the use of other types of rolling tobacco increased by 309 percent. Rolling tobacco is sold without filters.
The government raised the price of cigarettes, as well as heated tobacco products. With the change, 5,000 people have stopped using heated tobacco products. Studies have shown that heated tobacco products are less harmful than cigarettes.
When the cigarette policies were introduced, one of the things the government announced was setting up smoking cessation clinics in all islands. A smoking cessaition clinic was opened in Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) years ago. The clinic mainly provides nicotine gum and nicotine patches to those who want to quit smoking.
But Adhadhu understands that nicotine gum and patches are not available in smoking cessation clinics in the islands. A person who wants to quit smoking must register and wait for a consultation. g
The government's biggest failure is in the implementation of the General Regulation for Tobacco Control. If these regulations are fully implemented, the number of visible tobacco users in Male' will be very low.
The rule prohibits smoking in:
- Indoor and outdoor parts of mosques and schools and public places within a radius of 25 feet from the walls of their entrances and exits
- Indoor and outdoor sections of hospitals, clinics and universities
- Pharmacies and places designed to promote health and wellness
- All government agencies, government companies, government-owned companies, and their entrances and exits
- Indoor parts of workplaces
- Public transportation vehicles
- Airports, bus stops, taxi stands, vessels, bridges and jetties
- Places for sports, exercise, recreation and entertainment
- Sports stadiums, courts, facilities and public places for sports and exercise
- Places with a high probability of a fire incident
- Industrial workplaces where there is a high risk of fire
- Entrances to parking areas
- Children's parks, squares and areas for children and families
- Youth centers and youth sports facilities
- Nursing homes and all places under the care of the state
- Shops, markets and all places of business in general
- Common areas such as stairs and vents in apartments and halls and hostels
- Streets and alleys
Counterfeit cigarettes: A dangerous black market
The increase in cigarette taxes has created a widescale black market in the Maldives. The number of cigarettes smuggled and sold illegally has increased dramatically. But the relevant authorities have not taken any action.
- October 25, 2024 - Two million smuggled cigarettes seized
- January 30, 2025 - 980,000 counterfeit cigarettes seized
- March 26, 2025 - 140 cartons of cigarettes seized from airport duty free
- April 8, 2025 - A policeman was arrested for trying to smuggle 140 cartons of cigarettes out of duty free
- April 19, 2025 - 130,000 cigarettes seized at Gan Airport
- April 26, 2025 - 13 million smuggled cigarettes seized
- May 6, 2025 - 221 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes seized
- May 25, 2025 - 32 cartons of smuggled cigarettes seized
- September 24, 2025 - 1.8 million smuggled cigarettes seized at Hithadhoo port
Manchester: a new brand of cigarette
With the increase in tobacco duty, the price of cigarettes has skyrocketed, making it unaffordable to the common citizen. The result is the widescale black market for cigarettes in the country today. Counterfeit cigarettes are common among young people.
A pack of regularly imported cigarettes is available at MVR 240. However, a pack of cigarettes can be bought for only MVR 60 in street shops and cafes. These are low-quality counterfeit products.
Manchester is the most common brand of counterfeit cigarette in the Maldives. It is a brand of cigarettes based in Dubai through J.S.S Tobacco Limited. The company is owned by Syrian businessman Khaled al-Mahamid.
After the anti-tobacco campaign in Australia, Manchester became popular across the country. At the time, it was revealed that Manchester wasn’t a counterfeit brand but it was a cigarette specially manufactured for sale on the black market.
Studies also show that Manchester cigarettes produced in Dubai are of poor quality. Manchester cigarette fakes are also widely distributed throughout the world. Its fake cigarettes are of an even lower quality than the original. However, there are no major differences in the packaging of fake and genuine cigarettes.
Another problem with Manchester cigarettes is the lack of warning labels. Warnings and photographs on the outside of cigarette packs are compulsory in many countries around the world, including the Maldives. However, Manchester cigarettes and packs of the brand available in the Maldives do not contain any warnings.
Manchester cigarettes are widely available in the capital Male' and across the Maldives. The cigarette pack itself proves it cannot be legally sold within the Maldives. If the police are serious about counterfeit cigarettes, it will be an easy operation to raid and remove Manchester brand cigarettes from shops.
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Yooshau's story is the reality of many young people who are trying to quit smoking in the Maldives. They want to use scientifically proven methods to get rid of their tobacco addition.
Restrictive and abrupt policies which lack far-sightedness benefit criminals. Such policies do not achieve the desired goal and make things worse. The wisest choice is not to introduce any new policy until the master plan is completed.
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This article was first written in Dhivehi by Hassan Mohamed.
