COLOMBO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is seeing an uptick in the number of users of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as "Ice," a senior National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) official said on Tuesday.
Assistant Director of Research at the NDDCB Thamara Darshana said that more than 60,000 people were arrested for addiction-related offenses across the country during the first 10 months of 2025, adding that arrests linked to the use of "Ice" have seen gradual increase in recent years.
Darshana said about 99 percent of people who use narcotic substances consume more than one type of drug at the same time.
Meanwhile, Shantha Gamage, director of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Division of the NDDCB, said young people between the ages of 20 and 30 are particularly vulnerable to drug use.
According to data from the NDDCB, 228,450 people were arrested for drug-related offenses in 2024. Methamphetamine-related offenses resulted in 68,132 arrests, representing 29.8 percent of all drug-related arrests during the year. ■
