Cannabis in Sri Lanka

Cannabis in Sri Lanka is legally sold through Ayurveda herbal shops, and can be used for medical and scientific purposes if given a license by the Ministry of Health. For recreational usage cannabis is not legal. However, cannabis plays a major role in the traditional culture of the island, with the specific Sinhalese or Sanskrit names virapati (“hero-leaved”), capta (“light-hearted”), ananda (“bliss”), trilok kamaya (“desired in three worlds”) and harshini (“the rejoicers”) indicating its various properties, such as inducing euphoria and heightening sexual energy.

Locally the term 'kansa' is used to refer to the plant as a whole, while 'ganja' is used to refer to the flowering head. It is estimated that there are currently about 600,000 users of cannabis in the country, who tend to come from higher socio-economic strata.