Speaking to the media in Colombo yesterday, he said this wastage of money that could be used for national development should be halted immediately.

According to him, the ban on the sale of alcohol for under-21 olds is not being enforced properly.

Companies have turned to indirect methods of propaganda as giving publicity directly to alcohol is banned.

Dr. Anula Wijesundara said Sri Lanka has earned the notoriety of being one of the leading consumers of alcohol, which is also a contributory factor to suicides.

She called for the introduction of new laws to arrest this trend.