“Chemicals”, they reveal the new drug that is becoming popular in Cuba

CubitaNOW Editorial ~Friday 12 January 2024

There is a drug that is becoming very popular on the streets of Cuba and it has been dubbed “chem.”

A report by journalist Claudia Padrón for the independent media Cubanate suggests that it is a type of drug that is based on cannabis, with the addition of synthetic substances that vary depending on the manufacturer.

“Its production, which is carried out in common neighborhood homes, requires hemp and low-cost chemical precursors,” the report explains.

One of the interviewees explained: “As I have seen, they put the grass on a tray and later pour chemicals on top to dry everything. I heard that they add pills for epilepsy to these substances, but I don’t know exactly what they add.”

At the end of last year, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education recognized that the average age of onset of drug use in the country is 15 years, especially during the first years of lower secondary school and technical-vocational education.

Reports presented by these organizations before the Education Commissions of the National Assembly of People’s Power highlight that cases of drug use have been identified at all educational levels, with the highest incidence in basic secondary school .

The seriousness of the problem is evidenced by mentioning that 168 students are associated with drug use cases, where more than 87% affect their academic performance and come from permissive or unstructured family environments.

The head of the National Anti-Drug Directorate (MININT) of the Ministry of the Interior, Juan Carlos Poy Guerra, informed the National Assembly that the problem of drug consumption in Cuba is linked to group pressure, low perception of risk, and consumer fear. Disapproval when reporting these acts.

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