In brief
In the first ten months of 2026, Sri Lanka’s Bureau of Rehabilitation reports a fall in drug relapse to 19.21% from 24.5% last year, as more people maintain sobriety after treatment. The bureau, led by Director General M.S. Hameed, highlights outreach initiatives targeting tourism workers and encourages voluntary rehab. An online source cited in the story could not be accessed, leaving that detail unconfirmed.
Sri Lanka’s Bureau of Rehabilitation announced on 6 November that the country’s drug relapse rate among individuals who completed rehabilitation fell to 19.21 percent in the first ten months of 2026, down from 24.5 percent the previous year, according to a briefing in Colombo.
The bureau’s Director General M.S. Hameed noted that the proportion of people who stayed drug‑free after treatment increased from 31.4 percent in 2025 to 45.18 percent between January 1 and October 30, 2026 – a rise of 13.78 percentage points.
The report said 14 percent of those who sought treatment were employed in the hotel and tourism sector, prompting the bureau to launch awareness programmes in the tourism industry. Work has been carried out in districts such as Gampaha and areas of the Southern Province, with a further session scheduled for 9 November in Dambulla to target staff of major tourist hotels in Sigiriya and Dambulla.
Hameed urged individuals struggling with addiction and their families to seek voluntary rehabilitation rather than await legal action, positioning the national anti‑drug operation, ‘A Nation United’, as a framework for support.
An online reference to a separate Asian‑Pacific news page about the relapse rate linked in the article could not be retrieved, returning a 404 error, and remains unconfirmed.
