The Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I warmly welcome the Motion brought by Hon. Rajeevan. In our district, especially after 2009 and following the opening of the A-9 road, large quantities of drugs were brought into the North and distributed among youth and even higher education students, leading to serious social degradation. Families, especially parents, now live in fear because the most affected are our youth. At a time when we seek to build a prosperous society, drug use in Jaffna must be curbed immediately.

¶ 02 This drug problem also burdens the health sector. Considerable resources are spent to rehabilitate addicts and to treat drug-induced illnesses, diminishing services available to other patients. We must identify and prevent the distributors. Even those who have been to prison return and resume drug use through renewed associations.

¶ 03 We urgently need a rehabilitation centre within Jaffna District, to provide proper rehabilitation, vocational training and employment pathways to help prevent relapse. We also need mechanisms to block distribution routes, including village-level monitoring, with cooperation from the armed forces, Police and judiciary. Without decisive measures, our society will face ruin. I urge swift actions to save our youth. Thank you.