Former State Minister Diana Gamage has praised the Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led government for allowing cannabis cultivation in its export zones under strict regulations only for export purposes.
Addressing the media, Diana Gamage said she was pleased that the incumbent government had taken steps to implement proposals she had made on cannabis during her tenure in the former government.
“I did not ask for people to consume cannabis while on the road. I did not propose that it be used as a drug. I only proposed that it be treated as an industry to earn dollars for Sri Lanka,” she said.
Diana Gamage further said that members of her own government at the time rose against her for these proposals, alleging that even then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe did not allow her to carry out her duties.
She said, however, she was pleased that the current government has understood the need behind the proposals and has taken steps to approve them, providing licences to seven international companies for this purpose.
“I respect President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as a head of state, announcing to the entire country the transactions with investors, the need for legalising the cannabis industry, and the dollars to be earned through it. I respect him for this,” Diana Gamage added.
Her comments come after the Cabinet approved for Sri Lanka to allow cannabis cultivation in its export zones under strict regulations, only for export purposes.
Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the government had been continuing a process started in 2004, after all the necessary approvals and that an institution has been established to start the expansion of cannabis cultivation under the Board of Investment (BOI).
The cultivation will be under the strict regulations of BOI and the Department of Ayurveda, and they will be allowed only to export. (Newswire)