The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board reports that 67,900 people have been arrested for drug offenses since January 2022. Its Director General Mrs. Bhadrani Senanayake stated that there is currently an increase in drug use.
“Considering the current situation regarding the use of drugs in Sri Lanka, 67,900 people have been arrested for drug offenses in Sri Lanka between January and October 2022. If we look at this, 52% for heroin-related offenses, 37% for ganja offenses and 6,728 people for ice drugs. Arrests have been made. When we look at these statistics, we can see an increase in the use of heroin, marijuana, ice, which are generally considered dangerous drugs, and an increase in the prevalence.”
Mrs. Bhadrani Senanayake, Director General of the National Board for the Control of Dangerous Drugs, further stated that there are not enough facilities for the rehabilitation of drug addicts.
“When it comes to people who use drugs, as we have estimated, there are only 100,000 people who use heroin and 3.5 million people who use cannabis. A very small number of these people come to rehabilitation. On average, about 4,000 people come to treatment and rehabilitation every year. State And private treatment centers of non-governmental organizations are operating in Sri Lanka. But the facilities for rehabilitation in Sri Lanka are not enough. Although there are centers for men, there are very few treatment centers for women.”
