News:2025-08-21/Policy/medical-watchdog-urges-govt-to-reverse-decision-to-allow-ganja-cultivation

21 August 2025

Policy

Sri Lanka·

Medical watchdog urges govt. to reverse decision to allow ganja cultivation

The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) urged the NPP government to reverse its decision to permit cannabis cultivation for medicinal and export purposes. The SLMA argued that approved medical uses internationally are limited to rare conditions, that global pharmaceutical demand for cannabis has declined since 2021 per the INCB, and that multinational cannabis companies are expanding into new markets to recover losses. The association warned that secure plantations would be "practically impossible" given existing enforcement challenges, and that increased street availability was a likely outcome. The SLMA described the policy as the "first breach of the dam" protecting Sri Lankans from widespread cannabis use, dismissing projected foreign currency inflows as insignificant compared to the $500 million in monthly expatriate remittances.

Source: https://island.lk/medical-watchdog-urges-govt-to-reverse-decision-to-allow-ganja-cultivation/

2025-08-21 Policy Medical watchdog urges govt. to reverse decision to allow ganja cultivation The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) urged the NPP government to reverse its decision to permit cannabis cultivation for medicinal and export purposes. The SLMA argued that approved medical uses internationally are limited to rare conditions, that global pharmaceutical demand for cannabis has declined since 2021 per the INCB, and that multinational cannabis companies are expanding into new markets to recover losses. The association warned that secure plantations would be "practically impossible" given existing enforcement challenges, and that increased street availability was a likely outcome. The SLMA described the policy as the "first breach of the dam" protecting Sri Lankans from widespread cannabis use, dismissing projected foreign currency inflows as insignificant compared to the $500 million in monthly expatriate remittances. https://island.lk/medical-watchdog-urges-govt-to-reverse-decision-to-allow-ganja-cultivation/