Cannabis — Ecuador

Cannabis is illegal in Ecuador and there is no legal way to buy it. The government table that once tolerated up to 10 g for personal use was abolished by decree in November 2023, so today no quantity is officially safe to carry. Since June 2025 the law says consumption is never presumed: anyone found with cannabis must prove personal use through toxicological and psychological exams, and possession can instead be prosecuted as small-scale trafficking, which has carried 3 to 5 years since the July 2024 reform. Supplying or selling any amount is a crime.

COIP art. 220(1), as amended by the law in R.O. Suplemento 599 (12-Jul-2024): trafficking in scheduled substances — minimum scale 3–5 years; medium 5–7; high 19–22; large 22–26. Cannabis scale bands (net weight) per Resolución 001-CONSEP-CD-2015: minimum up to 20 g; medium >20–300 g; high >300 g–10 kg; large >10 kg. Selling or delivering to minors raises the maximum penalty by one third (art. 220). Illicit production: 13–16 years (art. 219(1), same 2024 reform). Possession claimed as personal use is non-punishable only if consumption is proven — it is never presumed, and forensic toxicological/psychological exams are mandatory (art. 220 as amended 10-Jun-2025).