a scourge present in the socialist State

Havana Cuba. – Many of us who have gray hair today still remember how until 1958, when comedians of the time made jokes about drunks, they generally talked about the “neighborhood drunk.” This conveys to us the unequivocal idea that at that time alcoholism was not yet a widespread vice in our society. Quite the opposite occurred after 1959, when alcohol consumption gradually began to gain strength and spread among the population.

In an attempt to stop the phenomenon, the dictatorship banned the sale of spirits. However, by then the vice was so deep-rooted that the “inventors” of the patio clandestinely dedicated themselves to distilling a variety of concoctions through artisanal methods, because at all costs they needed to distance themselves from the terrible reality that we Cubans have experienced under the Castro rule.

Perhaps because the “Comandante” eventually became convinced that there was no stop to this, or simply to squeeze our pockets, towards the beginning of the 1970s, some depressing bars called colloquially “pilotos” began to operate, where in a sordid atmosphere you could get , plus watered down beer, cheap sex.

Now, it is striking that in recent years the consumption of narcotics has displaced alcoholism. It is enough to take a tour of the neighborhood to see how those groups that gathered on the corners to “drink” one or several bottles until they fell overcome by alcohol have disappeared. Of course, this may be due in part to the fact that a large number of them have already achieved their golden dream of escaping from the giant prison that is today the largest of the Antilles.

It is worth noting that the consumption of psychotropic substances is not something totally new in the country, although for many years stating it was a serious offense that could lead to a stay in a PNR unit. In the best of cases, the unwary person who dared to express the truth in this regard could be branded an “enemy of the Revolution” and an “ally of imperialism” to discredit our country, which had worked so hard to form the new man. in the likeness of the “blameless heroic guerrilla”.

And while divulging the truth was a persecuted taboo, during all those years narcotics were taking over our society and wreaking havoc mainly on young people. The official media, for their part, did not stop describing this scourge as exclusive to capitalist society, since in Cuba the government policy towards drugs is “zero tolerance”, with which they intended to make it clear that the evil had been totally eliminated. of the island.

Given the above, it is at least interesting to read in the newspaper Granma on April 10 that “in Cuba there has been an increase (in drug consumption) in recent years, and adolescents and young people represent the most vulnerable group.” Under the title “Drug consumption, a present danger?” The official organ of the Communist Party interviews Dr. Alejandro García Galceran, director of the Mental Health Center of Central Havana.

According to the specialist, “Havana has always been the city with the most consumption, as have important tourist centers, such as some areas of Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos.”

Dr. García Galceran emphasized that the first experiences are beginning at increasingly younger ages, such as 13 and 14 years of age, dependence can become evident between 17 and 20 and can worsen around 25 years of age.