President orders unified national plan to eradicate Sri Lanka’s drug menace
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called for all relevant institutions to work under one national plan to eradicate the drug menace in the country.
The President made these remarks while attending a meeting of the “A Nation United” National Steering Council for the eradication of the drug menace, held this morning (July 02) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
The meeting was held with the participation of the Maha Sangha of the three Nikayas and other religious leaders.
During the meeting, President Dissanayake instructed officials to submit a report at the next meeting on the responsibilities assigned to each institution under the national plan, the progress made so far and the programmes carried out by each institution to combat the drug problem.
It was revealed at the meeting that nearly 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s prison population consists of persons addicted to narcotic substances. Attention was therefore directed towards measures that could be taken to address this situation, especially in view of serious prison overcrowding.
The President also inquired about the steps being taken to prevent schoolchildren from becoming involved in drug use.
Officials said 225 programmes, including awareness programmes for teachers and students, have already been implemented at school level.
Discussions have also been held with vice-chancellors and heads of departments at universities and higher education institutions. Following these discussions, peer groups have been established among students to carry out awareness programmes.
Attention was also drawn to conducting a nationwide survey on the prevalence of drugs within the school system.
The President stressed the need to establish a committee led by the Ministry of Education, with representatives from all relevant institutions, to work under a common plan to eliminate the drug menace from schools.
It was also decided to convene a special discussion with the owners of private and international schools to involve them in the national drug prevention programme.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of drafting new laws to ensure the prompt destruction of seized narcotics.
Attention was given to introducing an automated system to manage court exhibits and decentralising laboratory facilities with the support of legal and scientific experts, in order to reduce delays in investigations.
The President also highlighted the need for a proper reporting mechanism on seized narcotics and the places where they are being kept as court exhibits.
He said records should be maintained on consignments awaiting Government Analyst reports, consignments for which reports have already been obtained and quantities retained as court exhibits.
It was further noted that the draft law on the rehabilitation of persons addicted to narcotic substances has now been finalised and will be gazetted shortly.
Attention was also focused on introducing drug testing kits through pharmacies, allowing parents to privately check whether their children have become involved in drug use.
The meeting also discussed establishing modern facilities for the Police Narcotics Bureau, improving the efficiency of the Department of the Government Analyst, using modern technology to obtain analyst reports and introducing necessary amendments to laws related to dangerous drugs.
To prevent narcotics from entering Sri Lanka through sea routes, the Navy, Police and intelligence services are implementing a joint special operational plan.
Discussions also focused on preventing the distribution of drugs by boat, introducing related legal amendments and strengthening the legal authority to confiscate vehicles used for drug trafficking, including multi-day fishing vessels.
The meeting was attended by the Maha Sangha, led by the Most Venerable Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thera, Anunayake of the Malwathu Chapter; the Most Venerable Narampanawe Ananda Thera, Anunayake of the Asgiri Chapter; and the Most Venerable Waleboda Gunasiri Thero.
