President calls for stronger parental involvement to protect children from drugs

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said stronger relationships between parents and children are more important than the law alone in protecting young people from drug abuse.

He made the remarks when the national operations council of the “Rata Ekata” anti-drug campaign met at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday.

The President instructed officials to develop a system to directly educate parents about the seriousness of drug abuse and how to identify changes in their children’s behaviour, while encouraging them to play a more active role in prevention.

He said parents who suspect that their children are at risk of drug use also need access to trusted individuals who can provide guidance. Parents often turn to teachers or religious leaders in such circumstances, and the President said a more structured support mechanism should be developed. Teachers involved in such work should receive specialised training, he added.

Dissanayake also called for further measures to dismantle drug distribution networks.

Officials told the meeting that improvements at the Government Analyst’s Department had increased the number of reports being completed, with 8,000 drug-related analyst reports finalised in September alone. Navy personnel have also been assisting with data entry.

The faster processing of analyst reports has enabled a significant number of people remanded over drug offences to be released on bail, helping reduce prison overcrowding, the meeting was told.

The President instructed officials to obtain committee approval for the new drug-control legislation already presented to Parliament during the first week of October and take steps to have it passed by the third week of the month.

The meeting also discussed plans for a centralised digital system linking the police, Government Analyst’s Department, prisons and the judiciary. Dissanayake instructed officials to resolve practical issues surrounding the system in consultation with the Defence Secretary and other relevant authorities.

He also reviewed steps to enable expert and Government Analyst reports to be sent directly to courts by email under Act No. 7 of 2025, as well as measures to fill vacancies at the Legal Draftsman’s Department.

The progress of anti-drug programmes in international schools, rehabilitation centres and the Northern and Eastern provinces was also reviewed.

Dissanayake called for social media campaigns targeting young people to highlight the harmful consequences of drug use.

He also stressed the importance of keeping the 1818 hotline for information on drug trafficking, distribution and related illegal activities active and publicising how information received through the hotline had been acted upon in order to build public confidence. The government says the hotline operates around the clock.

Religious leaders, senior government officials and members of the “Rata Ekata” national operations council attended the meeting.