A total of 1.5 million people in Sri Lanka smoke 11 million cigarettes daily. The percentage of smokers above the age of 15 in Sri Lanka is 15 percent, National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Chairman Dr. Palitha Abeykoon said.
Addressing a press conference held at the Health Education Bureau in Colombo yesterday in connection with World No Tobacco Day (May 31), he said although Bhutan has banned cigarettes, 17 percent above the age of 15 smoke in Bhutan.
The percentage is 60 in China and around 20 percent in the West, Abeykoon added.
According to Dr. Abeykoon, at present, smoking in Sri Lanka has gone down significantly when comparing with the situation before 10 or 15 years.
Annually, between 20,000 and 25,000 Sri Lankans die from smoking and smoking related health issues. Ten percent of them die due to passive smoking and third-hand smoking.
Cabinet papers had been presented in connection with banning the sale of cigarettes within a radius of 500 metres from a school and to ban selling single cigarettes. Sri Lanka will introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in the future.
Already, around 11 countries have introduced plain packaging for cigarettes. Tobacco cultivation in Sri Lanka had been reduced to around 300 hectares, he added.