By Chandradasa Kodithuwakku

No country in the world had become rich by exporting cannabis, the Chairman of the National Authority (NATA) on Tobacco and Alcohol, Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa, said In Matara.

Dr. Rajapaksa said that cannabis was widely used in Sri Lanka and warned that if the cannabis cultivation was legalised, the consumption of the narcotic would increase.

“There are people who say we can make hundreds of millions of dollars by exporting cannabis, but no country has been able to enrich itself by exporting cannabis,” he said.

Dr. Rajapaksa said the abuse of cannabis along with tobacco and alcohol causesd many mental and physical ailments.

“According to a study, in 2019, those in the Anuradhapura District consumed the highest amount of alcohol.

Nuwara Eliya and Matara came second and third. Around 200 cancer patients visit the Maharagama Cancer Hospital, every year, because of smoking,” Dr. Rajapaksa said.