Sri Lanka President orders laws for immediate destruction of seized drugs

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed the Ministry of Justice to draft new laws that will allow seized illicit drugs to be destroyed immediately at the location where they are found.

The President issued these instructions this morning (November 25) during the second session of the national operations committee “A Nation United,” held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

The committee was established to eradicate the drug menace and coordinate nationwide action.

Musician Sangeeth Wijesuriya first proposed the idea of destroying seized illegal drugs during a recent discussion with journalist Kingsly Rathnayaka on his YouTube channel.

During the discussion, Wijesuriya, who has previous experience working with a drug prevention unit, stated that although large quantities of drugs are seized, failing to destroy them promptly allows those drugs to eventually re-enter the drug trafficking network.

Addressing the meeting, which was also attended by Sangeeth Wijesuriya, President Dissanayake said the government must focus not only on seizing drugs but also on helping those addicted to them recover. He noted that various segments of society hold different and sometimes conflicting views about rehabilitation.

He said these ideas should be gathered and used to prepare a new, broadly accepted rehabilitation program. According to the President, a scientific method should be developed with the involvement of all relevant government and nongovernment institutions.

He also highlighted the importance of building a trained workforce to support rehabilitation services.

The President instructed the Ministry of Justice to complete the new legal framework by March next year. He noted that initial work has already begun and directed officials to expedite the process. Under the proposed laws, a Magistrate will be able to visit the site of a drug seizure, inspect the stock, permit sampling through a Government Analyst, and then authorise its immediate destruction.

He also called for swift action to fill existing vacancies at the Government Analyst’s Department, including both permanent and temporary positions that have already been approved.

A nationwide awareness programme under the theme “Quit – A Nation United” will take place on December 06 and 07, 2025. It will involve all District and Divisional Secretariats and aims to educate the public on the government’s drug eradication efforts.

President Dissanayake further instructed officials to ensure that all government institutions become free of illicit drugs and to establish proper regulatory systems to certify this status.

Today’s meeting was attended by Hindu, Catholic and Islamic religious leaders, including Ven. Kuppiyawatte Bodhananda Nayaka Thero, Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security Ravi Seneviratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Sampath Thuyacontha, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Ayesha Jinasena, Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Cultural and Religious Affairs W. P. Senadheera, Acting Inspector General of Police Sanjeewa Dharmaratne, senior government officials of the “A Nation United” National Steering Council, artists and civil society representatives.