Regulations on Prohibited Tobacco Products in Sri Lanka

From TobaccoUnmasked

Summary

The following products are prohibited from manufacturing, importing, selling or offering for sale in Sri Lanka since 01st of September 2016.

  • Smokeless tobacco products or mixtures that contain tobacco
  • Any coloured or flavoured cigarettes that contain tobacco
  • Any electronic cigarettes that contain tobacco

Background

National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act No 27 of 2006 is the main legal framework for tobacco and alcohol control in Sri Lanka.[1] The section 30 of NATA Act grants powers to the minister of health to specify the types or categories of tobacco products to be prohibited from manufacturing, importing, selling or offering for sale in Sri Lanka.


Image 1: The Extraordinary Gazette on Regulations on Prohibited Tobacco Products

Accordingly, on 01st of September 2016, the then Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine introduced following regulations on prohibited tobacco products, under Section 30 read with Section 33 of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act, by an Extraordinary Gazette of The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. [2]

“No person shall manufacture, import, sell or offer for sale any tobacco product specified in Schedule I and II hereto”

Schedule I

Any smokeless tobacco product or mixture that contain tobacco. The gazette specifies “Smokeless tobacco product” as “any tobacco product which do not generate smoke”.

Schedule II

  1. Any flavoured, coloured or sweetened cigarette that contains tobacco
  2. Any electronic cigarette that contains tobacco

Implementation

In 2023, NATA took legal action against Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC), which holds the monopoly of cigarette manufacturing and trade in Sri Lanka, on trading flavoured cigarettes in several districts. Read more about this legal proceeding from TU page The Case Study on Flavoured Cigarettes in Sri Lanka.

TobaccoUnmasked Resources

The local language translations

TobaccoUnmasked_Sinhala
TobaccoUnmasked_Tamil



Notes

  1. ↑ Parliament of The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. National Authority of Tobacco and Alcohol Act, No. 27 of 2006, accessed December 2025
  2. ↑ Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Extraordiary, accessed December 2025
Retrieved from "https://www.tobaccounmasked.com/index.php?title=Regulations_on_Prohibited_Tobacco_Products_in_Sri_Lanka&oldid=3609"