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MP Pathirana alleges bid to promote ganja as substitute for tobacco
By Saman Indrajith
The tobacco mafia had commenced a campaign to promote ganja as a substitute and hired intellectuals and professionals to recommend the use of psychoactive narcotic, Matara District SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana told Parliament on Wednesday (7).
“Professors, doctors, professionals including health experts are now on the payroll of tobacco companies and are writing articles, books and speaking the values of ganja.
Their campaign is to get the narcotic plant legalised here and this should be stopped immediately,” the MP said during the Questions to Prime Minister Session.
The MP said the cigarette sales had dropped drastically in recent times and the tobacco mafia had resorted to promoting ganja instead as a substitute. “Just like the milk powder mafia, flour importers mafia there is a tobacco mafia. The tobacco mafia has got hold of several key persons and got them to promote ganja here. The articles are talking of the possibilities of earning huge sums of foreign exchange by growing them in this country. We demand to know from the Prime Minister what action his government would take to save the nation from this imminent threat.”
Prime Minister Rajapaksa said that a committee had been appointed in terms of provisions of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board Act No 11 of 1980 to study the threats from the cannabis plant. “The government authorities have been continuously conducting programmes to raise awareness of the dangers of the psychotropic effects of cannabis. In addition to such awareness programmes in schools, universities and vocational training institutes, teachers and teacher trainees are being informed of the measures to be taken to curb the drug menace.”
MP Pathirana:
Dr Nimal Karunasiri conducted a thorough study on the uses of cannabis. He published a book too. The chief guest at the launch of the book was the Prime Minister. Recently Dr Karunasiri mentioned that at the launching ceremony the prime minister in no uncertain terms stated that ganja was a dangerous narcotic and should not be promoted in our society. Dr Karunasiri engaged in a campaign against ganja. While being thankful and appreciative of that act of the Prime Minister I would like to know whether he could take the lead from Parliament to fight against the narcotic plant in addition to the expert committee.
Prime Minister Rajapaksa:
No need to worry about parliament. None of the MPs are using ganja.
MP Pathirana:
Are you sure?
Prime Minister Rajapaksa:
To the best of my knowledge none of the MPs smoke ganja. If you know any you can bring that to our notice so that we could take action.
MP Pathirana said that during the shortage of narcotics, the drug addicts resorted to use cough syrup and some painkillers. “Now, after the abuses had been pointed out those medicines are available only at state pharmaceutical outlets and sold under strict procedures. This is a country where medicines are used as narcotic drugs. If a narcotic was given a label of medicine what would be the result?
MP Premnath C Dolawatte raising a point of order: It is one of their MPs who once said that there are cocaine users in parliament. Now this MP is querying whether we are sure that there are no ganja smokers in parliament. This is another attempt to bring this House into disrepute. This could be a privilege issue.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena:
That is not a point of order
MP Pathirana said that the Sri Lanka Medical Council, the College of Psychiatrists and the College of Community Medicine Physicians had issued statements on the danger of cannabis. “We hope that government ministers would refrain from making statements in favour of ganja.”
Prime Minister Rajapaksa said that he would look into the matter.