Sri Lanka, Sept. 10 -- By Jithendra Antonio
The recent firestorm surrounding e-cigarette use among Sri Lanka's youth has ignited a critical policy debate in Sri Lanka. So, what's really at stake here? Protecting our youth is and must always remain a national priority. Yet, regulators and policymakers must resist knee-jerk prohibitionist responses, as any proposed solutions must be evidence-based, enforceable, and sustainable in the long run.
It would serve Sri Lanka well to study global case studies from countries with established e-cigarette markets and extract critical lessons from their experiences. The data tells a compelling story: regulation consistently outperforms prohibition. While bans may appear as a silver bullet, the empirica...