Rehabilitation of drug addicts: New laws take effect

By Saman Indrajith

The amendments to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance passed by Parliament to provide for the compulsory rehabilitation of alleged drug users had become law, Parliament was told yesterday.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday endorsed his certification on the Bill passed in Parliament on Oct 19. As such the new law came into effect as the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act No. 41 of 2022, parliament sources said.

On Sept 9, the Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms submitted the Bill to Parliament to amend the Ordinance.

During the debate on the Bill on Nov 10, TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran, expressing serious concerns, said the amendment would limit the access to justice by people and there would be incidents where people are framed or various dissections taking place.