Three flavors of cigarettes distributed by Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) have been stopped from sale in Sri Lanka with immediate effect, the Daily Mirror reports.
Therefore, starting from the 17th, sales of "Dunhill Switch", "Dunhill Double Capsule" and "John Player Gold Pro Cool" cigarettes will be discontinued.
On September 1, 2016, a case was filed under the 1982 Gazette Notification (33) by the National Tobacco and Alcohol Administration (NATA) in Mattala, Colombo and Anuradhapura.
Former health minister Rajita Senaratna brought the provisions under Section 30 of the National Tobacco and Alcohol Management Act No. 27 of 2006. According to the communiqué, smokeless tobacco products or mixtures containing tobacco, tobacco-containing flavored, tinted or sweetened cigarettes and tobacco-containing e-cigarettes are banned.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in Parliament that the Court of Appeal has given judgment on NATA's petition to suspend the sale and distribution of the above-mentioned flavored tobacco products. He claimed the verdict was delivered orally and was not uploaded to the court's website. He therefore asked the Attorney General to investigate the matter. Premadasa said the CTC also filed a lawsuit against NATA at the Court of Appeal.
