This letter to the editor comments on a paper by Jayasinghe & de Silva. While the author agrees that the regulation of pesticide advertising may be beneficial to the prevention of deliberate self harm, he does not believe that this regulation is presently impeded by administrative inertia. Several examples of regulated pesticides are cited that showed a directed decrease in incidence of fatal self-harm. A remark on the large financial resources of pesticide companies is included. (5 refs) (SC)