The Health Ministry states that regular consumption of betel and arecanut would not be affected by the new regulations banning the manufacture and import of smokeless tobacco products.
Chairman of the National Authority of Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), Palitha Abeykoon issued a notice stating that the new regulation banned the manufacture, import and sale of smokeless tobacco products and tobacco-based electronic cigarettes.
Manufacture, import and sale of sweetened, coloured or flavoured cigarettes have also been banned under the new regulation.
The NATA explained that the regulation had been introduced in an effort to quash the addiction of students and the youth to consuming tobacco-based products such as Mava and Babul which consist of toxic chemicals.
Reports indicate that the consumption of the aforementioned products lead to a number of health complications, including but not limited to, oral cancer, mental illnesses and diseases associated with the gastrointestinal system.
Accordingly, Palitha Abeykoon stated that Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne had gazetted the relevant regulations banning the manufacture, import and sale of smokeless tobacco-based products on September 01, 2016.
He proceeded to verify that the regulations did not ban the traditional betel with arecanut.
