COLOMBO (News 1st): The government is exploring the possibility of imposing a ban on the retail sale of cigarettes and 180ml quarter bottles of liquor, the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) said. According to Dr. Rajapaksa, due to the increased rate of the buying capacity given the retail sale, smokers are able to purchase cigarettes constantly. “By drafting regulations to ban the retail sale of cigarettes those who cannot quit the habit of smoking will be compelled to purchase a full packet of cigarettes, which will contain 20 per pack. Thereby, buying capacity will reduce; meaning, the tendency for smoking in the country could be brought down drastically by imposing a ban on retail sale of cigarettes,” Dr. Rajapaksa elaborated. “When considering alcohol, overall, 19.38 percent of those above the age of 14 in the country consume liquor; among males, 40.8 percent consume liquor, while 0.26 percent of females consume liquor,” NATA Chairman noted.

Source: The Nation February 20, 2021 05:00 UTC