Cuban People Warned on the Harmful Use of Marihuana

Havana, Cuba, Jun 26 (ACN) Experts and students from the School of Medicine warned on Monday in Havana on the harmful use in consuming marihuana on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

During a panel at the Cuban Association of the United Nations (ACNU), Magdalena Gonzalez specialist of the Legal Medicine Institute explained the negative consequences of consuming marihuana whose therapeutic means "are still not well defined or scientifically proven".

The also member of the Academic Committee in the Prevention on the undo use of Drugs explained the characteristics and effects of marihuana on humans, one of the most used drugs in the world.

She mentioned that although its legalization in European nations in addition to some US states with different means, in Cuba it is not a crime to consume the drug, but could become sanctioned by law as is to carry and traffic the substance.

During her presentation, Gonzalez explained the legal basis in the Cuban health system and in particular the medical origin regarding the detection of marihuana consumption in patients.

Public Health Law 41 in its article 99, establishes that the Ministry of Public Health controls the import, export, elaboration, storage, distribution, circulation, sale and use or application of drugs and Psychotropic Drug.

In 1966, Cuba created the National Drugs Commission that contemplates the work of different entities of the Central State Administration, political and grass roots organizations regarding the prevention and reduction in the demand of drugs, in addition to the application of a legal-penal policy in accordance with the seriousness of the type of crime.

According to a recent report issued to the foreign press accredited in Havana, the secretary of that entity, Israel Ybarra said that Cuba intercepted up until last May, three times the amount of drugs collected in the first semester of 2016, year in which some one thousand 711 kilograms of prohibited substances were confiscated.

According to the same source, of the drugs confiscated last year, one thousand 503 kilograms were marihuana, a substance that Cuba "has not legalized or pretend to do so", he stressed.

Each year, the Youth Commission of the ACNU and the Center for the Academic Development on Drug Dependents, known as Cedro, share criteria regarding the situation in the county and the world.

The UN General Assembly created International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26th 1987 to reinforce action and cooperation aimed at achieving a free society of drug consumption.