The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said its emergency inspection teams, coordinated with the Ministry of Interior, closed the cigarette shop located in the Al Ahmadi and Mubarak Al-Kabeer areas after staff were caught selling tobacco products to customers below the legal age. Officials acted immediately upon witnessing the violation involving minors under 21 years old. Legal procedures against the retailer have been launched as part of the enforcement operation.
In a parallel move, the ministry reported closing a health institute operating across the Al Jahra and Al Farwaniyah governorates after inspectors identified breaches of several ministerial decisions, including those governing cash transactions. The violations prompted an immediate shutdown order along with referrals for prosecution. The ministry said such actions form part of routine oversight to uphold standards across commercial and health-related operations.
Kuwait maintains a minimum legal age of 21 for the purchase of all tobacco products, a threshold higher than the 18 years applied in most other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. A 2024 analysis in the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal noted that Kuwait had implemented only one of four key provisions under Article 16 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control concerning bans on sales to adolescents. The ministry’s latest enforcement aligns with these tobacco control requirements.
The Tobacco Atlas places Kuwait’s adult smoking prevalence at 10.8 percent for those aged 15 and older, equating to roughly 763,000 smokers. Its data further shows youth smoking prevalence in the 10-14 age bracket at 12.76 percent. Regional Global Youth Tobacco Survey findings incorporated in the journal study indicate that more than half of adolescents attempting cigarette purchases were not refused on age grounds.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said its inspection campaigns would continue across all governorates to verify adherence to consumer protection and public health regulations. Similar past operations have resulted in closures and legal measures against repeat offenders in retail and service sectors. Coordination with interior authorities and the Juvenile Protection Department remains central to these sustained activities.
The ministry’s announcement highlighted ongoing monitoring of high-risk retail locations for tobacco sales and private health facilities for compliance failures. Such steps reflect broader regional efforts tracked by the World Health Organization to limit youth access to tobacco products. Officials have not released additional details on the specific health institute violations beyond the cited ministerial decisions.
