• NDDCB advises school admins. including principals/big match organisers/Excise Dept. on sponsorships/stalls involving liquor/tobacco companies 

The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) urged school principals and the Excise Department not to allow any liquor companies to promote their products among students under the guise of sponsorships.

Following several parties, including anti-drug non-government organisations claiming that certain leading alcohol and tobacco companies have commenced a campaign to promote their products among students during the upcoming school cricket encounters (big matches), NDDCB Chairman Shakya Nanayakkara told The Daily Morning that it is the responsibility of the school administration and the organisers of these matches to be attentive towards the promotional campaigns launched by the said companies. He further stated that allowing such companies to sponsor school cricket matches would be a serious violation of certain provisions in the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act, No. 27 of 2006, as the Act does not allow any kind of sponsorship that promotes alcohol and tobacco.

“If any party allows the establishment of alcohol or tobacco stalls in schools or any other places related to children and education, they must be prosecuted for the violation of the said provisions,” he said. 

Nanayakkara noted that the Excise Department is responsible for issuing temporary one-day excise licences as the particular entitlements in the law can be misused by the alcohol companies to achieve their goals. “Such stalls are established under the one-day Excise licences given by the Excise Department. Those licences permit the sale of liquor within a particular area for a day. Therefore, we urge the Excise Department to be responsible in issuing these licences. Also, the Excise and Police Departments were advised several times by the authorities regarding similar issues. So, they must take this into consideration,” he said.

Several attempts to contact the Excise Commissioner General and the NATA proved futile.