HAVANA (Reuters) โ Cuba said on Wednesday illegal drug use is rising on the Caribbean island, a blow to the communist-run nation that has for decades prided itself on controlling the illicit traffic and use of narcotics.
A health official said the island was moving to โcontrol and containโ the growing use of drugs, especially among young people, but acknowledging shortfalls amid an increasingly severe economic crisis.
โIn Cuba there has been an increase in recent years (in drug consumption), and adolescents and young people represent the most vulnerable group,โ said Dr. Alejandro Garcรญa, director of the Mental Health Center of Central Havana, in an interview in state-run newspaper Granma.
Cuba`s government has long espoused a policy of โzero toleranceโ against drugs, and the island has a long-held reputation for severe punishments for all sorts of crime.
The recent economic downturn, the worst in decades, has been accompanied by a strong perception of rising crime on the island, and an increase in the use of drugs.
โThe economic situation is having a great impact for various reasons,โ Garcรญa said, mentioning a decrease in specialized personnel. โThere are municipalities that do not have psychiatrists or those who directly address the phenomenon of addictions.โ
Cuban authorities said the country`s courts in 2023 had convicted 689 people linked to drug trafficking and use and noted that the Penal Code punishes โpossession and trafficking of illicit drugs with penalties from 4 to 30 years in prison, including life imprisonment and up to the death sentence.โ
Garcรญa did not reveal the type of drugs that are being consumed on the island, but said โnew chemicalsโ have surfaced challenging authorities ability to contain their use.
Cuba lies on a key drug trafficking route that has for decades been used by traffickers to transport cocaine, marijuana and other drugs from Central and South America north to the United States by boat and light aircraft.
(Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Editing by Dave Sherwood)
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