The decision was reached during an institutional review of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) held recently in Parliament. During the review, NATA officials informed the committee that approximately 22,000 deaths occurred annually in Sri Lanka due to tobacco and alcohol consumption. Officials told the committee that steps were underway to amend the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act to grant it more powers. Noting that 104 countries had already banned the sale of loose cigarettes, the underscored the need for Sri Lanka to adopt a similar policy. When loose cigarettes were sold, mandatory health warnings on cigarette packets were not visible to consumers, the NATA officials said.