Cuba is grappling with a fast-growing wave of synthetic drug use that authorities say is hitting young people hard, from public parks where youths sleep or walk with difficulty to people arriving at hospitals for detoxification and rehabilitation. In Havana, an AP visit to a psychiatric hospital described a 90-day detox program for patients in their 20s, alongside a setting where many describe hitting bottom on the streets and looking for treatment. Health and public-safety officials attribute the rise to economic hardship, shortages of basic goods, and the spread of low-cost synthetic drugs.
Officials say the primary threat is the “químico,” described as a potent cocktail of synthetic cannabinoids and hazardous additives. On the streets, the drugs are also known as “papelitos,” or “little papers,” and AP reported that users absorb the substance into sheets of paper sliced into tiny doses and then smoke it. David Morales, 25, told AP that the drugs are “very cheap…and it’s everywhere,” and said he is in rehabilitation therapy at the Alcance Victoria Cuba evangelical Baptist church after receiving help through government-funded health centers.
Cuba’s Health Ministry and state agencies established a National Drug Observatory in July to research, monitor and mitigate the impact of illegal drugs. Cuba’s government does not track the overall number of drug users, but Dr. Tania Adriana Peón, head of mental health and addictions at the General Directorate of Health, pointed to emergency room data as a barometer for the trend. AP reported that in 2024, 467 people sought help or were registered in emergency rooms in Havana, and that by 2025 the figure had nearly doubled to 886.
Cuba has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, and authorities say drug trafficking is punishable by up to life imprisonment. Even so, the government acknowledges it is not immune to drug use, and AP described how seizures of drugs can surface sporadically after traffickers are chased and packages wash ashore, including cocaine referred to as “recalos.” Officials also say drugs can be smuggled into Cuba among imported goods and, to a lesser extent, through domestic marijuana plantations detected at some point.
At the same time, Cuban officials say the drugs now circulating are increasingly complex. Col. Juan Carlos Poey Guerra of the Interior Ministry told AP that the “primary challenge” Cuba faces is tied to new psychoactive drugs or synthetic cannabinoids, which he said originate mainly from the United States. He added that police laboratories detected 46 new synthetic formulations in the last year, and that authorities found some substances mixed with cannabinoids—including the anticonvulsant carbamazepine, formaldehyde and fentanyl. Poey Guerra also said that between 2024 and 2025, authorities thwarted 72 attempts to smuggle drugs into Cuba from 11 different origins.
AP’s hospital reporting described the structure of the detox-and-rehabilitation effort and the emphasis on daily routines and peer support. At Havana Psychiatric Hospital, the facility’s 40-bed men’s ward included patients aged 20 to 30 undergoing a 90-day detox before rehabilitation, according to AP. The space includes two-bed cubicles with family photos, plus a reading area, dining room and recreation space, and patients wear white T-shirts with the slogan “We win against drugs.” Daniel Fulleda, 23, who AP said was admitted in January, told the outlet he was “incredibly depressed…living on the streets; I just couldn’t take it anymore,” and said he plans to get married and start a family before the year ends.
While Cuba’s health care system is state-run and free, officials and community leaders told AP that the scale of the challenge has pushed other actors to play a larger role. Pastor Abel Pérez of the Alcance Victoria Cuba church told AP that “There are neighborhoods that are infested… I’ve seen young people using drugs right in front of me,” and said he is not “called to sit idly by.” AP reported that last year the church provided therapy to about 50 young people and their families, and that today more than a dozen individuals attend sessions regularly. Alejandro Morales, 57, an oceanographic engineer who accompanies his son David to church meetings, told AP the problem has grown rapidly and “overwhelmed the country’s capacity to address it.”
AP also described family members seeking help alongside their children. Vilma Arias, 64, told AP that she and her daughter attend sessions at the church, while her other son—AP reported he is 26 and struggling with drug use—refuses treatment. “We have to pray a lot,” Arias said, adding that her daughter is “a wonderful teacher” and that her son is “a graduate in automotive mechanics,” and she said she does not know how they “fell into this.”