To curb flow of tobacco intoxicants:

Call for changes to Narcotics Control Act

by Ananda AGALAKADA

A top official from the Customs Narcotics Control Unit (CNCU) yesterday said, a change in certain laws will better enable the officers of the Unit to curb the flow of tobacco-based intoxicants into the country. He said such laws should come in the form of changes to the Narcotics Control Act. CNCU Superintendent Nihal Alahapperuma said tobacco-based intoxicants such as Babul, Hans and snuff chewing tobacco presently come under the Food Act and not the Narcotics Control Act and called it an impediment to his unit's efforts to curb the inflow of such drugs into the country from foreign lands.

Alahapperuma was of the opinion that if such tobacco-based intoxicants are included in the Narcotics Control Act as banned substances, it would give more muscle to law enforcement arms to curb their inflow by meting out harsher punishment to offenders. According to sources, the sleuths currently to seize such goods on the basis that such imported consignments do not include the food seal.

At present authorities do not stamp the food seal on such goods (if detected) paving the way for their seizure.

However, this has hampered efforts by officials to initiate legal action against offenders with most of them escaping with just a Customs fine.

During the first half of this year, sleuths of the CNCU seized 69 kgs of snuff, 14 kgs of babul hans, 60 kgs of chewing tobacco and 84 kgs of Pang Parah, worth millions of rupees.

However, despite the increased flow of tobacco-based intoxicants, there is a sharp drop in efforts to smuggle hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine into the country, Alahapperuma said. He attributed this fact to harsher punishments for offenders, efforts of Customs Narcotic officials and Police and action taken by the Government in recent times to curb such inflows.

He said a combined effort by Customs, Police and Coastguard units will further help curb smuggling of intoxicants and drugs in to the country. He said that his unit was making every effort to control banned drugs coming into the country. Experts say that tobacco-based intoxicants mainly brought from South and South East Asia are sold at kiosks in many locations. They are popular mainly with low income earners and young children. Sources said vendors lure schoolchildren to become potential addicts.

This will be helpful in eradicating such drugs in line with Government's objective of eradicating the menace in line with the 'Mathata Thitha' policy, he added.