The National Drug Commission, headed by Pilar Alicia Varona Estrada, Vice Minister of Justice and its coordinator, verified the functioning of the Provincial Drug Subgroup in the province of Ciego de Ávila, during a recent work session that included visits to various economic and social centres.

An agricultural cooperative, a secondary school, the Máximo Gómez Báez University of Ciego de Ávila and the psychiatric hospital were part, in Avilanian territory, of the national tour that concluded in the central region of the country.

During the closing meeting, Varona Estrada and the members of the National Commission left precise recommendations, which will allow the province to chart new actions and advance with sure steps.

Among the weak points detected, emphasis was placed on the complex situation with the workforce in the agricultural sector, and the need to deepen control of the land was stressed, to prevent incidents of marijuana cultivation, as well as the introduction and trafficking of other illicit substances.

In the realm of Public Health, the Commission recommended strengthening specialisation in the topic of addictions and drugs for professionals in the sector, reinforcing primary care for these cases and working with the medical university to increase the offer of posts in the specialty of Psychiatry.

The Vice Minister expressed as her principal concern: the problem of follow-up for cases after hospital discharge.

«We must achieve an in-depth follow-up of these cases,» she affirmed, and alerted about the risk of patients not concluding their treatment and thereby compromising their health even further.

The Commission agreed that the principal challenge is to carry out a comprehensive diagnosis that allows for the characterisation of both the supply and demand for drugs at all levels.

The urgent need to identify the at-risk social base and to approach the real figures of consumption with greater precision was insisted upon, both in adults and in the child and youth sector.

For this, it is essential to address the phenomenon of addictions with greater rigour, involving not only Public Health, but also the Ministry of the Interior, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic, the courts, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and mass organisations in a coordinated effort.

Another crucial aspect was the socialisation of the strategies; on this, it was suggested to present the resulting plan of measures from this visit in the Provincial Government Council and, specifically, in the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power of Ciego de Ávila, since 70 percent of drug-related criminal activity is concentrated in this municipality.

After participating in a neighbourhood debate at a rural mixed school, the knowledge that the children showed about the dangers of various drugs was positively valued.

Varona Estrada pointed to the low turnout of the resident population as a gap and insisted on the need for the prevention message to reach all families.

When intervening, Ángel Aragón César, Coordinator of Programs and Objectives of the Government in the province, acknowledged the complexity of the territory and confirmed that crime linked to drugs has not yet reduced its indicators, which is why the work of the specialised subgroup is vital to advance and obtain better results.

The Vice Minister concluded her intervention by affirming that the principal challenge is to raise the culture of drug rejection and the perception of risk among the population, especially among the youngest.

Likewise, she urged turning the neighbourhood-debates into an effective instrument to take the message directly to the most complex communities, share good practices and strengthen the prevention and confrontation of this scourge, a task that requires the integration and responsibility of the entire society. (Damián Betanzos Hernández, collaborator)