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Sri Lanka, November 3 – The general population of Sri Lanka perceives the last 76 years as a hardship, as they endured silently. No one truly tackled their urgent concerns and only provided them with temporary relief for brief intervals, such as a few days, a few weeks, or a few months through short-term fixes.

The most challenging aspect is that these solutions were only provided during critical moments, such as just before elections, when government popularity hit rock bottom, or when one or two temporary fixes failed. However, now ordinary Sri Lankans are beginning to see hope emerging from the dark tunnel. This is “A Nation United,” a national initiative aimed at eliminating dangerous drugs, launched under the sponsorship of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake last Thursday.

The issue of drug addiction in Sri Lanka has become a major national problem, characterized by rising arrests, higher rates of drug use among young people, and a rehabilitation and prison system that is overburdened and out of date. The government is stepping up its efforts to combat this issue. Both specialists and regular citizens emphasize the need for broad, structural changes.

Extensive seizures and detentions of illegal drugs were carried out by the military and law enforcement agencies over the past few months. In the first ten months of 2025, police carried out more than 164,000 raids, detained over 164,000 people, and seized thousands of kilograms of prohibited substances. During the same time frame, officials initiated almost 188,000 court cases concerning drug-related offenses.

Last week, the media highlighted that more than 230,000 schoolchildren in the Colombo District are addicted to drugs, though this number might be lower than the actual figure for the whole country. From January to August 2025, law enforcement arrested 206 minors for drug-related offenses, with 39 receiving probation. Increasing rates of youth addiction represent another significant concern. Officials have noted a 20 percent rise in drug consumption among individuals aged 19 to 26, which is partially linked to the impact of social media.

Sharp Rise

The use of Crystal Methamphetamine (“Ice”) has increased significantly, with police reporting that the majority of users are aged 19 to 26. Officials confiscated 2.5 tons of “Ice” from January to October 2025.

A National Survey started in 2024 aimed to collect accurate data, but the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) provided estimated numbers for drug users. These figures indicate that there are up to 3 million tobacco users, up to 2.5 million alcohol users, up to 350,000 cannabis users, up to 50,000 methamphetamine (ICE) users, and up to 100,000 heroin users. Significant amounts of heroin are still being trafficked and intercepted. Over 1.4 tons were seized in the first ten months of 2025. Authorities also confiscated more than 14 tons of cannabis and “Kerala cannabis” between January and October 2025. The Police have also seized millions of narcotic pills, cocaine, and hashish during the year.

Another significant concern regarding drug addiction is the increasing prevalence among young people. According to the NDDCB, there has been a growing number of schoolchildren struggling with drug addiction, especially in the Western and Southern Provinces. Individuals from low-income communities in the Colombo district are considered to be at the highest risk.

Experts have noted changes in drug trends. Although cannabis and heroin are still common, there has been a significant rise in the usage and smuggling of synthetic stimulants such as methamphetamine (“Ice”). In 2024, arrests related to methamphetamine were almost comparable to those for heroin and cannabis.

The illegal drug market is becoming more connected to organized criminal activities and “narco-politics.” As per mid-2025 data, drug-related violations make up a large share of serious crimes within the nation.

Drug Menace

In this context, the Government initiated the National anti-drug campaign titled “Nation United-National Drive,” a country-wide effort aimed at eliminating the drug problem. Officials keep carrying out extensive raids and community-focused mobile prevention programs as part of the “Clean Sri Lanka” project. The Cabinet has given approval to a new guideline to enhance the medical evaluation and testing of drivers suspected of driving while under the influence of drugs. This comprehensive strategy by the Government, which marks the first such initiative in Sri Lankan history, is highly praiseworthy since all prior Governments only focused on one or two related aspects when dealing with dangerous drugs.

Current rehabilitation models developed over the last few decades are no longer relevant or effective. The government-run Kandakadu center, for instance, has faced criticism for poor administration in recent years and has made minimal efforts to tackle the underlying issues of addiction. In other words, the idea of “rehabilitation” has turned into a mockery in Sri Lanka, with no one having faith in it, as more than 99 percent of those “rehabilitated” drug users relapse into their habit within days, weeks, months, or years. All that their families can do is witness this tragedy.

They are unaware of what they can control and the actions they can take to prevent such situations. The necessary information is absent, and there is no system in place within the country to educate close family members, relatives, or guardians. Fortunately, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake provided a guarantee last Thursday regarding rehabilitation.

The last and most crucial aspect now follows. This concerns the suffering of immediate family members, relatives, and loved ones of individuals addicted to drugs. Interestingly, no major Sri Lankan media outlets or social platforms have highlighted their pain, which has remained unaddressed for many years. They endured in silence. Decision-makers were unaware of how the lives of ordinary people were affected by drug addiction. Their anguish was confined within homes (which we cannot truly call homes due to the absence of love within them) over the past several decades. ONLY now, under the current President and his National People’s Power (NPP) Government, their suffering has been acknowledged, and measures have been implemented to address it.

Crime Involvement

Once a family member or two become addicted to drugs, there’s no way to go back from this situation, both in the past and up to the present. This is because ‘rehabilitation’ has proven completely ineffective in Sri Lanka. It’s impossible to find even one individual who has permanently quit drugs. All we can see are ‘rehabilitated drug users’ who continue to use drugs and are engaged in criminal activities.

The whole family endures suffering in hell when one or two members become addicted to drugs. There are families where every member is addicted to drugs. Drug users sell nearly everything they can to purchase drugs, and once they run out, they begin robbing the neighborhood and the entire country. Following this, they engage in criminal activities such as killing vulnerable people like the elderly, those living alone, and women traveling by themselves. They only require money to buy drugs.

Prior to arriving at this point, they intimidate the family’s primary earner and demand money. If they don’t receive it, they have no qualms about killing him or her, which could be the mother or father of the family. They do not hesitate to kill anyone who refuses to provide money. They do not stop there. They remove nails from railway tracks and bridges, endangering the lives of innocent travelers. Previous governments ignored this issue and refused to acknowledge it.

On the other hand, some mothers and family members, unable to witness their loved ones suffering without drugs, provide them with money or find ways to obtain the illegal substances and give them. This is why certain mothers of prisoners conceal illicit drugs in food containers and attempt to pass them on to their sons. This is a tragic situation that has remained unresolved by all previous governments.

Previous Regimes

It’s quite intriguing to see what regular people believe about the various attempts by past governments to manage (not eliminate) dangerous drugs. They claim, “If the former leader and his IGP were still in power, they would keep searching for ICE in school bags.” In other words, they suggest that all previous administrations allowed illegal drugs to enter the island through sea or air routes and only attempted to catch some of these shipments once they reached users.

However, the whole nation can clearly observe that there is a genuine attempt to prevent illegal drugs from entering the island via sea or air. This initiative by the Government has already eased the burden on regular citizens who have been affected by drug addicts. As ordinary people have full confidence in the law enforcement agencies, the Government, and the political leadership, they offer one recommendation.

That involves reaching every single home (including the small huts of beggars) while carrying out an illegal drug elimination initiative. They claim that when each and every household is being accessed by the appropriate officials, no drug user or dealer can remain hidden. Their identities should be disclosed and officially recorded by the authorities.