CUBA: CRACKDOWN ON DRUG PRODUCTION

The Cuban government has announced a crackdown on vice, acknowledging that
the country not only has a problem with drug use, but also with domestic
production. The campaign was announced this week in Granma, the Communist
Party newspaper, which said that those found guilty of using, selling or
growing drugs would lose their homes, among other penalties. The government
decree also singled out prostitution and other antisocial offenses. The
decree is the first public acknowledgment that some farmers were growing
marijuana in the countryside. Although the government has always maintained
that domestic drug use is lower than in surrounding islands, it has grown
in recent years, at least partly because of Cuba's increased flow of
tourists. Similarly, prostitution has flourished in recent years, catering
to Europeans and other tourists.