There has been an allegation that after winning the war, the previous Rajapaksa regime had encourage drug use among these youths.

Head of Seva Lanka Harsha Kumara Nawaratne said there was no outright evidence to support that allegation, but that the drug use, as well as rapes are fast becoming a grave threat there.

Wide publicity was given to the rape and murder of a schoolgirl at Pungudutivu in Jaffna recent, but such incidents occurred during the Rajapaksa regime, but were never properly investigated, he noted.

Meanwhile, president Maithripala Sirisena, addressing a function to mark international no-tobacco day today (01), proposed a dialogue on the need to impose death penalty for narcotic smugglers.

Public opinion will be sought before taking the next course of action, he said.