Ecuadorian government debates the legalization of marijuana

Alexis Mera

Following statements of Legal Secretary, Alexis Mera, about the lost war against drugs, and his proposal for the regularization of some them, considered illegal, like marijuana, the Ecuadorian government poses a controversial debate.

Within the framework of the seminar “The principle of proportionality of the sentence in convictions“, carried out in Quito, Mera stated that in his opinion, “the drug war is lost,” then he spoke about legalizing some of them, such as the decriminalization of the use of marijuana, ie, that shall not be punished with imprisonment. Also to consider the possibility of growing the plant in the homes that want to do so or that certain indigenous nationalities may have some production, “so that there are no terrible prices and mafias like those that exist now,” he added.

Mera ratified that his proposal is only for the legalization of marijuana and other drugs, such as cocaine. Yesterday, the general secretary of the OAS, Jose Miguel Insulza, predicted that the debate would focus on the strategy over drugs and will not generate any news about the reform of the Commission. However, it ruled that “it is possible” to raise a debate on the subject.