The Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa - Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment

¶ 01 [3.12 p.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity during the debate on amendments to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and the Judicature Act.

¶ 03 For decades, drug dependence grew among schoolchildren, youth, adults, and women, with distribution and marketing networks strengthening, domestic production of substances like “ice” emerging, and our country turning into a hub. Villagers alone could not have built such networks; this required political protection and a breakdown of the rule of law. In the past, even when police and the tri-forces conducted raids, Presidents intervened to shield traffickers, emboldening the menace. The present government is acting to uproot this.

¶ 04 Our Hon. Minister of Justice could not participate for two hours due to an urgent judicial matter but will return shortly.

¶ 05 We have launched a whole-of-nation mission to free this small island and its 22 million people from drugs. For example, in 2019, 45,000 individuals were arrested in relation to cannabis; in the first half of 2025 alone, 36,814 were arrested. For heroin, 40,000 were arrested in 2019; in the first six months of 2025, 34,000. For ice, 2,073 in 2019; in the first six months of 2025, 41,000 arrested for dangerous drugs overall. Raids and operations have markedly increased.

¶ 06 Political protection and legal laxity fueled the crisis. The NPP government now implements comprehensive programs to rebuild the country and eradicate poverty, because drug use is tied to poverty. Nearly 1.8 million families receive Aswesuma; if we estimate 2 million families eligible, that’s about 10 million people—half the nation—poor. Our ministry has formulated the “Praja Shakthi” national mission to end poverty while empowering youth and families; recovery from drug dependence is integral to this.

¶ 07 We also pursue Clean Sri Lanka, fostering a humane, ethical, and corruption-free society. Digitization will drive institutional reform. Under the President’s leadership, “Rata Ma Ekata” national operations councils are formed at district and local levels, involving all officials, tri-forces, police, Civil Security, and political authorities—this is a war-scale organizational plan. Our main program aims to deliver “a prosperous country – a beautiful life” for our children. These amendments strengthen that program. We will soon make Sri Lanka free of dangerous drugs.