The National Narcotics Laboratory (NNL), functioning under the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board was created in 1990 through the combined funding of United Nations Drugs Control Programme (UNDCP) /UNFDAC and the Sri Lanka Government, with the WHO Authorities in Sri Lanka being the executing agency.

The laboratory became operational in an improvised building at York Street, Colombo 01, in April 1991, and shifted to its current custom built headquarters at Rajagiriya in 1994.

It is now renowned not only in Sri Lanka but throughout the South Asian Region as one of the best laboratories equipped with "state-of-the-art" scientific equipment, which include, Gas Chromatographs (GC), Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS), High Performance Liquid Chromatographs (HPLC), UV Spectrophotometers and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) etc.

The laboratory staff is engaged exclusively in analysis of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals, in addition to conducting Training and Research. Due to the untiring efforts and utmost dedication of the well trained scientific staff and the management towards the continual development of the lab, the NNL now has a huge potential to carry out most of the sophisticated analytical experiments by itself, saving a large sum of money which should otherwise be spent on the foreign laboratories in getting such experiments conducted.

Regulations

Expansion of the Act No. 1 of 2008

United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 and Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971 can be inferred as major outcomes of the attempt made at the international level to prevent the illicit traffic and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The United Nations Convention against illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances, 1988, which was signed at Vienna on 10th December 1988 can be considered as an extension of the foregoing conventions.

Furthermore Sri Lanka being a partyto the aforementioned 1988 UN Convention and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1990, imposed the Act No. 1 of 2008 in order to empower the aforesaid international law as domestic law.

Apart from that it has been published precisely under “the Establishment of Precursor Control Authority Regulations, No. 1 of 2010”, the types of licences and registration certificates issued by the Authority and the procedure to be followed in order to apply for these.

Section 18 of the Act No. 1 of 2008

The minister shall appoint a person or a body of persons as the Precursor Control Authority (herein after referred to as “the Authority”) who shall be charged with the responsibility of administering the provisions of this part of this Act. The Authority shall implement within Sri Lanka, in respect of the substances specified in Table I and Table II of the first schedule to the Act, such measures as are required for monitoring the manufacture and distribution of the aforesaid substances as required by the provisions of the 1988 United Nations Convention in such manner as shall be prescribed by regulations made under the Act.

*Precursor Control Authority Regulations, No.1 of 2010

Regulations made by the President under Section 31 read with Sections 18 and 19 of the Conventions Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Act, No. 1 of 2008 read with paragraph (2) of Article 44 of the Constitution, which was published by an Extraordinary Gazette dated 04th May 2010.

*The member composition of Precursor Control Authority

The Precursor Control Authority shall consist of -

(i)   The Chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board ;

(ii)   The Attorney- General or his nominee ;

(iii)   The Inspector General of Police or his nominee ;

(iv)   The Director of the Police Narcotic Bureau or his nominee ;

(v)   The Director - General, Sri Lanka Customs or his nominee ;

(vi)   The Commissioner- General of Excise or his nominee ;

(vii)   Government Analyst or his nominee ;

(viii)   The Director of Medical Supplies Division of Ministry of Health or his nominee ;

(ix)   The Director of Medical Technology and Supplies or his nominee ;

(x)   The Director - General of Board of Investment of Sri Lanka or his nominee ;

(xi)   The Director - General of Central Environmental Authority or his nominee ;

(xii)   The Secretary of Ministry of Industrial Development (currently Ministry of Industry and Commerce) or his nominee ;

(xiii)   The Controller of Imports and Exports or his nominee ;

(xiv)   The Commissioner for Ayurveda or his nominee ;

(xv)   The Chairman of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka or his nominee ;

(xvi)   The President of Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry or his nominee ;

(xvii)   The Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation of Sri Lanka or his nominee.

Chargers

Import & Export

Premises

Dealers

Endusers