The National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol has submitted a concept paper to Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa proposing that all Sri Lankans born after 2010 — Generation Alpha — be permanently denied access to tobacco products under a “tobacco-free generation” framework.
The paper was presented by NATA Chairman Specialist Dr. Ananda Ratnayake and L.L. Amila Isuru of the University of Rajarata’s Faculty of Medicine. It is accompanied by recommendations to amend the NATA Act to give effect to the new restrictions and tighten existing tobacco and alcohol controls.
Two core measures anchor the proposal: updating regulations under the existing NATA Act, and introducing a hard age-cohort cut-off so that anyone born from 2010 onward cannot legally purchase tobacco products in Sri Lanka, irrespective of their age in any given year. Similar generational bans have been adopted or debated in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and several other jurisdictions.
Dr. Ratnayake said nearly 80 percent of deaths in Sri Lanka are attributable to non-communicable diseases, with tobacco and alcohol identified as leading risk factors. He estimated 22,000 Sri Lankan deaths annually are linked to the two substances, alongside major economic and social costs. Globally, tobacco causes around eight million deaths a year, including from second-hand smoke.
L.L. Amila Isuru warned of rising cigarette use among schoolchildren and the strain on public-health spending. He said reducing prevalence and restricting access remained the most effective tools to protect future generations.
Minister Jayatissa welcomed the initiative and instructed NATA to provide detailed legislative-amendment provisions for ministry review.
Sources: Daily Mirror, Newswire, The Island.
