31. Prohibition of the sale of any tobacco product or alcohol product to persons under twenty one years of age

Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.

(1)

A person shall not sell, offer for sale, or permit or promote the sale of any tobacco product or alcohol product to any person under twenty-one years of age.

(2)

Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence under this Act and shall on conviction after summary trial before a Magistrate be liable to a fine not exceeding four thousand rupees or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both such fine and imprisonment.

(3)

It shall be a defence to any person found guilty of an offence under this section to prove that he took all reasonable steps to ascertain that the person to whom he sold the tobacco product or alcohol product was above twenty-one years of age.

Read on from s 32