Sri Lanka e-cigarette ban plans move forward as Health Ministry targets vaping devices and lifetime cigarette limits for those born after 2010.
Sri Lanka e-cigarette ban proposals are moving forward as the Health Ministry prepares tougher reforms to create a tobacco-free generation.
Those born after 2010 could face lifetime cigarette restrictions if the proposed amendments are passed by Parliament.
The plan follows a UK-style age ban model, with strict enforcement expected at the point of sale.
The Ministry of Health is preparing to strengthen Sri Lanka’s already tough regulatory position on nicotine products by moving to ban e-cigarettes as part of wider reforms aimed at protecting future generations from tobacco use.
Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, Dr. Ananda Ratnayake, told the Sunday Observer yesterday that legal recommendations have already been presented to Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa to close remaining gaps in the existing law.
The proposed amendments are aimed at eliminating the use of all types of e-cigarettes and vaping devices. They would strengthen current laws that already prohibit the sale, import, and manufacture of such products.
Dr. Ratnayake said Minister Dr. Jayatissa had welcomed the proposal, which forms part of a broader government policy to ensure that all children born after 2010 become a “tobacco-free generation”.
Under the plan, which is now being drafted as amendments to the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act No. 27 of 2006, anyone born after 2010 could be permanently banned from buying cigarettes if the legislation receives parliamentary approval.
Vendors would be given authority to request a valid identity document and verify the age of customers at the point of sale.
Similar measures have already been introduced in the Maldives for those born after 2007 and in the United Kingdom for those born after 2009. Canada is also considering similar action.
“This is to minimise the harm caused by tobacco and alcohol and protect future generations,” Dr. Ratnayake said.
He added that the government has already begun preparing the legal framework in line with NATA’s recommendations.
Authorities are also studying how the Maldives and the United Kingdom are enforcing such laws. The Sri Lankan proposal reflects the recently agreed final draft in the UK, where lawmakers plan to raise the legal smoking age each year so that younger generations are prevented from taking up smoking.
Referring to the legal status of vaping, Dr. Ratnayake said the law already clearly bans the supply side of e-cigarettes. However, he noted that the issue of use and possession of smuggled devices is less explicitly defined.
“Even now, people can get into trouble,” he said, adding that authorities have the power to seize devices and take action under broader legal provisions.
Sri Lanka’s enforcement record already shows a zero-tolerance approach toward vaping products.
Customs officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport routinely confiscate vaping devices from tourists and locals attempting to bring them into the country.
Dr. Ratnayake said the proposed amendments would move Sri Lanka closer to stricter international models.
In Singapore, for example, the use of e-cigarettes is illegal, with fines running into thousands of dollars and enforcement carried out rigorously.
Most countries also ban flavoured e-cigarettes, which have become particularly attractive to young people.
“This is exactly the direction we plan to move in,” Dr. Ratnayake said.
He added that the next phase of Sri Lanka’s tobacco control campaign will depend not only on legislation, but also on strong enforcement.
However, questions remain over how the proposed rules will be monitored, especially when smuggled vaping devices are already entering the country through travellers and informal channels.
What happens next could be critical, as the proposed measures would mark a major escalation in Sri Lanka’s anti-tobacco campaign, shifting policy from regulation toward outright prohibition for future generations while closing the remaining loopholes around vaping.
