{
  "id": 18432870,
  "title": "President urges religious leaders to become active partners in national drive to free the country from the scourge of illicit drugs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/president-urges-religious-leaders-to-become-active-partners-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T02:54:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/president-urges-religious-leaders-to-become-active-partners-in-national-drive-to-free-the-country-from-the-scourge-of-illicit-drugs/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged religious leaders to become active partners in the national effort to combat the growing issue of illicit drugs. He emphasized that religious institutions must take the lead in bringing about the necessary ideological and attitudinal changes within society. Speaking at a summit held at Temple Trees on Thursday, the President highlighted the prevalence of drug abuse among people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, including within religious institutions. He announced the launch of the 'Ratama Ekata' (A Nation United) national operation and its official website, www.1818.gov.lk. President Dissanayake presented statistics showing the significant quantities of drugs seized in recent years, including 438,330 kilogrammes in the previous year alone. He stressed that the drug trade has created a vast network with immense wealth, enabling traffickers to corrupt public officials and even politicians. The President assured that his government remains committed to eradicating the drug menace and appealed to religious leaders to join the effort, acknowledging the unique challenges faced by different social groups but stressing that the common threat of drug abuse unites them in a single cause: the salvation of their nation's future.",
  "summary": "President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said religious leaders and religious institutions had a leading role to play in bringing about the ideological and attitudinal transformation needed within society to defeat the scourge of illicit drugs. The President said he was inviting all religious leaders to take the lead in fulfilling this responsibility, which was among the […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "People Daily Kenya",
        "title": "Can we rent your President? Mungatana reveals what African leaders told him about Ruto",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/can-we-rent-your-president-mungatana-reveals-what-african-leaders",
        "published": "2026-11-06T03:22:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}