A media briefing organised by the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) Sri Lanka, to launch the Global and Sri Lankan Tobacco Industry Interference (TII) Index was successfully held on 7th January 2026 at the Courtyard by Marriott by Colombo, Colombo.

Dr. Manuja Perera, Editor/TobaccoUnmasked was invited to the media briefing representing CCT. She explained the role of the CCT and the responsibility of the media in the effective use of the TobaccoUnmasked website, the information portal of the CCT.

Mr. Yodhim Dela Rosa, Global Research Coordinator, Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) joined via Zoom. He briefly presented the 2025 data of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index and highlighted the Sri Lanka’s position in the Index. Dr. Ananda Rathnayake, the Chairperson of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), highlighted the main themes related to current tobacco control based on the recent Conference of the Parties (COP) 11 recommendations and the strategic implications for tobacco control in Sri Lanka. Mr. Raj Prabu Rajakulendran, an Economist at Verité Research, elaborated on the issues with the current cigarette taxation procedure and provided recommendations to improve the tax structure in Sri Lanka. The data of a scoping study on illicit cigarette trade in Sri Lanka was presented by Dr. Erandathie Pathiraja at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). Based on the results, she pointed out that there is no correlation between the cigarette tax increase and the illicit trade in Sri Lanka. Mr. Sampath de Seram, the Executive Director of ADIC, presented the Sri Lankan Tobacco Industry Interference Index. He briefed on the interference and influence of tobacco industry in tobacco control policies and actions with recent examples and stressed the importance of support from the media to stop that interference.

A panel discussion followed the presentation. It was moderated by Mr. Pubudu Sumanasekara, the Vice President of Movendi International, with the participation of Dr. Manuja Perera, Dr Nisha Arunathilake (representing IPS), Mr. Raj Prabu Rajakulendran and Mr Sampath de Seram.