2026-02-19 / Debate: Judicature (Amendment) Bill and Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill - Second Reading 2026-02-19
Dr. Elayathamby Srinath expressed support for the proposed drug law amendment, citing 2024 National Dangerous Drugs Control Board statistics showing 228,450 arrests — the majority youth aged 20–29 — as evidence of a grave national crisis. He called for parallel action against illegal liquor, arguing that existing penalties are inadequate and allow repeat offending, and demanded comprehensive rehabilitation facilities at the Divisional Secretariat level, noting the absence of adequate treatment centres in Batticaloa District. He further urged the Government to provide immediate compensation to Batticaloa farmers who have suffered losses from both cyclone-related flooding and human-elephant conflict, which he described as compounding hardships in an already distressed region.
Drug abuse is spreading widely and ruining the country. Its use is particularly high in coastal villages and urban areas where trafficking takes place. According to the 2024 statistics of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, 228,450 people were arrested, including around 68,000 related to ‘ice’. Of those arrested, a majority are youth aged 20–29. While hundreds of thousands are arrested, many more remain addicted without being apprehended, making this a grave national crisis. We therefore welcome and support this amending law to bring the situation under control.
Alongside narcotics that affect urban youth, there is widespread illegal liquor use in villages. It causes economic ruin and disease. We should not stop at narcotics eradication alone, but also take strong action against illegal liquor. Poor people become accustomed to illegal liquor because they cannot afford other substances; illegal producers drain the poor of their money. The law lacks adequate provisions to control and punish illegal liquor handlers and producers; fines are too low, allowing them to repeatedly reoffend and earn millions.
Drugs are destroying our youth, tearing families apart, leading to suicides, and causing silent suffering. Beyond monetary loss, the family structure collapses, and there are serious medical impacts. Students’ education is derailed during crucial learning years, pushing families into poverty. Illegal liquor and narcotics must be tackled in parallel with comprehensive legal measures, alongside awareness and counselling to rehabilitate victims and reintegrate them into society. Such large-scale programs are lacking.
In Batticaloa District, there are no adequate treatment or protection facilities. How are victims to be rehabilitated if sent elsewhere? We need facilities in every Divisional Secretariat area to help users recover and reintegrate. Those who produce illegal liquor or traffic drugs must face maximum legal action to control these activities.
I also wish to raise issues of Batticaloa farmers. Though some relief was given for damage from the recent cyclone, heavy rains have since destroyed large extents of paddy fields, causing severe losses. The Government should immediately provide compensation. At a time of serious hardship in Batticaloa, there is also a severe human-elephant conflict; elephants are destroying fields in the region’s forests. Considering that people have already lost crops to natural disasters, I urge the Government to compensate affected farmers.
The Government’s anti-narcotics effort must succeed with everyone’s cooperation. Only by saving our youth can we build a prosperous future.