An evident increase has been observed in the number of school students being arrested for drug-related offences, Prisons Commissioner General and Media Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said.
Speaking at TV Derana’s ‘Big Focus’ talk show, Ekanayake noted that there was an increase of 5,000 in the number of G.C.E Ordinary and Advanced Level students, aged between 16 – 17, being jailed for such offences.
“In 2015, there were nearly 200 students amongst those arrested for drug-related offences, but in 2021, this figure rose by about 5000”, he said, comparing data obtained over the years.
Ekanayake further noted that previously, those arrested for such offences were mostly aged between 30 – 40. Now, however, the Prisons Commissioner General pointed out that there exists an increase in the number of those aged between 22 – 30 amongst the arrestees, displaying a concerning increase in the amount of youth becoming addicts.
