Drug consumption increases in Cuba during the pandemic

Drug consumption in Cuba has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, island experts warned this Thursday.

The head of the Addiction Research Department at the University of Medical Sciences of Havana, Justo Reinaldo Fabelo Roche, explained that the trend of increasing consumption of psychoactive substances and other addictive practices began to rise since September of last year.

According to the specialist, in the first six months of the pandemic theconsumption of drugs decreased, because the population had a greater perception of risk.

However, after September 2020 the situation reversed throughout the country, where the most used substances are alcohol, tobacco and coffee.

Among young people, however, there is an abuse of chemical drugs, cannabis and anticonvulsant and opioid medications, explained in the daily news report of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP).

He also said that drug use was something expected during the pandemic, where confinement and social distancing measures generate stressful situations.

According to Fabelo Roche, behavioral addictions linked to technology, known as technoaddictions, have also increased during this time, which manifest themselves in the abuse of the use of social networks, mobile phones and behaviors linked to networks, and which They are generators of "compulsive behaviors," he said.

Last May, the expert said that this increase has been associated with frequent emotions in this stage of COVID-19 such as fear, anxiety, panic and insecurity, as well as constant worry, not only about the real possibility of getting sick but for infecting family and friends, which can also generate manifestations of melancholy and depression, he stated.

"If people manage to be consistent with their life projects and with their work or professional motivations, they can face these adversities and maintain abstinence or reduction of addictive habits during the pandemic," he then recommended.

Last Saturday, April 10, the Cuban Border Guard Troops captured a speedboat with almosta ton of marijuana north of Guantánamo.

A similar amount was intercepted eight miles northeast of Punta del Fraile, in an area near the municipality of Maisí, also in Guantánamo.

In November 2020, authorities seized more than two tons of marijuana in less than a week during several different maritime operations carried out off the island's eastern coast.