Cuba occupies a favored strategic position from a drug- trafficking perspective. The island lies only 90 miles south of Key West, Fla., on a direct flight path between Colombia's Caribbean coast and the southeastern United States. Cuba's tightly controlled political system probably has acted as a deterrent to drug smugglers, although Cuban officials have proven themselves corruptible on occasion. Still, traffickers' use of Cuban territorial waters and airspace to smuggle drug cargoes to the Florida coast is well documented. The Cuban connection is by no means vital to the supply of narcotics to the U.S. market; traffickers prefer to ship their drugs through Central America and Mexico rather than through the Caribbean. The main significance of the connection derives from its impact on Cuba's external relations and internal politics. Cuba's drug problems seem likely to increase in the future. A dismal economic performance has generated a sense of hopelessness among the Cuban people. In such conditions, more youth might be motivated to consume drugs or to deal in them as a way to cope with economic deprivation. Cuba needs international assistance in its fight against drugs. To date, the United States has refused to provide such assistance. Since Cuba presents no security threat of consequence to the United States, there is no foreign policy reason not to improve relations in areas of mutual interest such as the countering of narcotics trafficking.