Student of leading school at Ratnapura charged Rs 20 per puff of e-cigarette from schoolmates

By TKG Kapila

Commissioner General of Excise M.J. Gunasiri said yesterday that his Department had received a complaint that a student in a popular school in Ratnapura had charged other students Rs. 20 for one puff of an electronic cigarette.

The student concerned had taken an e-cigarette to school and shared it with others, within the school premises, Gunasiri said, adding that they had launched an investigation into the complaint.

He said that there was a rapid spread of electronic cigarettes in rural areas.

Gunasiri said so after inspecting a stock of e-cigarettes worth around Rs. 500,000, which had been recovered during raids conducted in Gampaha and Ja-Ela yesterday (11).

Gunasiri said that investigations had revealed a high use of e-cigarettes among school students and individuals below the age of 40 years, mostly in Colombo, Gampaha, and Panadura areas, and areas with a large population.

E-cigarettes are being sold and distributed via online platforms and they are mostly designed as smart watches, pen drives, power banks, and fragrant bottles. The authorities are facing difficulties in identifying e-cigarettes as they do not consist of the components of a normal cigarette but instead smell like various fruits, such as mango, orange, and cherry.

Each E-Cigarette consists of 50,000 to 60,000 puffs and can be utilised at any moment until it runs dry, while it is powered by being recharged electronically, he said, adding that investigations have revealed that electronic cigarettes are entering Sri Lanka via the Katunayake Airport, Colombo Port, and other sea routes.