2026-02-19 / Debate (Continued): Judicature (Amendment) Bill and Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill - Committee and Third Reading 2026-02-19
## Summary
Hon. Susantha Dodawatta spoke in support of two proposed amendments — to the Judicature Act and the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act — which introduce new legal mechanisms to combat drug production and trafficking, including within Sri Lanka's maritime zones and international waters. He contextualised the drug trade historically, referencing the Opium Wars and major trafficking regions, to argue that the problem is complex and cannot be resolved through enforcement alone or within a short timeframe. He outlined a multi-pronged approach encompassing extended maritime jurisdiction, evidence-based rehabilitation, public awareness, and independent investigative institutions free from political interference. He also proposed studying international decriminalisation models, such as those in Portugal and Switzerland, as potentially instructive for Sri Lanka's policy development under the government's "Rataama Ekata" national programme.
Thank you for the opportunity, Hon. Presiding Member.
Today we are debating two Amendments—one to the Judicature Act and another to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act. These introduce necessary new legal tools to counter drug production and trafficking, including on Sri Lanka’s maritime zones and in international waters.
Hon. Presiding Member, if we are to pursue a long-term, durable solution to the drug menace under the “Rataama Ekata” national effort, it is important to study the global history of drugs and addiction. Drug use and addictive substances long pre-date modern times—Mesopotamia and South America used opium and coca leaves as medicines. But the drug trade as a large-scale business expanded in the 20th century; earlier, events like the Opium Wars (1839, 1860) reshaped geopolitics. We have heard about the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent. Some in the Opposition hope this can be eradicated by 2027, but it is a complex problem.
We now bring forward a mechanism to exercise judicial power in our maritime zones so that law enforcement can act against drug trafficking in our seas and adjacent international waters—an authority we did not effectively have before. This is vital given Sri Lanka’s strategic location by the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, Palk Strait, and key maritime choke points, with hundreds of vessels transiting daily and a large share of global trade and oil shipments passing nearby. This problem cannot be solved in isolation.
Measures must be multifaceted: robust rehabilitation driven by scientific, counseling-based methods; sustained public awareness of the harms of drugs; and stringent laws, implemented by independent investigative institutions. Drug money has influenced politics and even investigations in the past; people mandated us to end that.
We should also study global approaches to decriminalization (e.g., Portugal, Switzerland, parts of the USA) where appropriate, to reduce harmful use while strengthening enforcement against traffickers. The National People’s Power government will take all necessary scientific and legal steps to resolve this complex global problem.
Thank you for the time, Hon. Presiding Member.