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

News record21 August 2025Policy

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.

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More news from Sri Lanka

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• 14 Feb 2026Special Operation Launched to Eliminate Drugs and Illicit Liquor in Uva Province
• 22 Nov 2025Massive cannabis plantations raided inside Yala Reserve
• 24 Oct 2025Major Kerala Ganja trafficker arrested in Sri Lanka
• 13 Aug 2025Sri Lanka approves first-ever legal cannabis cultivation for export

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Date21 Aug 2025

CategoryPolicy

CountrySri Lanka

Source report

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/