Prohibition Does Not Work Urges Sri Lanka to Reject Prohibition and Embrace Evidence-Based Regulation

Prohibition Does Not Work (PDNW) has written to Hon. Dr. Namal Sudarshana, Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs of Sri Lanka, to express serious concern over recent calls for an outright ban on reduced-risk nicotine alternatives such as vapour products and nicotine pouches.

The letter emphasizes that while youth protection and public health goals are legitimate and essential, prohibitionist measures would have the opposite effect—fueling illicit markets, worsening underage access, and denying adult smokers safer alternatives proven to help them quit.

The PDNW letter warns that restricting access to regulated alternatives does not reduce demand—it simply transfers supply to illicit vendors. Citing the experience of Australia, where prescription-only vaping rules led to a thriving black market now worth over USD 1 billion, the letter highlights how prohibition increases youth access rather than preventing it. It also draws attention to the serious health risks posed by unregulated illicit products. In countries where prohibition has taken hold, such as Brazil and Australia, authorities have seized illegal vaping liquids containing arsenic, heavy metals, and even narcotics, underscoring the dangers of leaving the market in criminal hands.

Instead of banning safer alternatives, PDNW’s letter calls on the Sri Lankan Government to adopt a risk-proportionate regulatory framework modeled on successful examples from New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

Such an approach would:

• Establish clear product definitions and standards to ensure safety and quality.
• Enforce strict age-of-sale laws and licensing requirements to protect youth.
• Target illicit suppliers rather than adult users.

This framework, PDNW argues, would both protect minors and empower adult smokers to switch to less harmful products—while also generating legitimate excise revenue instead of funding organized crime.

“The choice is not between vaping and nothing—it is between regulation and chaos,” said Tim Andrews, PDNW Spokesman and Director of Consumer Issues for the Tholos Foundation. “By regulating safer alternatives, Sri Lanka can reduce smoking, protect youth, and deny criminals control of this market.”

The letter may be downloaded here.

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