Ecuador’s new president, Daniel Noboa, abolished the rule that had allowed the possession of small amounts of drugs since 2013 in an attempt to combat “microtrafficking.”
The young head of state, elected in mid-October and sworn in on Thursday at the age of 35, ordered the Interior Ministry on Friday to put an end to this practice, according to a press release. It was founded by former Socialist President Rafael Correa (2007–2017) to help police focus on human traffickers rather than ordinary consumers.
Mr. Noboa, heir to a banana empire who describes himself as center-left but is supported by right-wing forces, promised during his election campaign to reverse this rule by ensuring that it “encourages micro-trading in schools and an entire generation.” It produces dependent children.
Located between Colombia and Peru, two major cocaine exporters, Ecuador has long been a safe haven, but in recent years there has been an explosion of violence there between gangs linked to the Colombian and Mexican cartels.
Between 2018 and 2022, the number of homicides in the country quadrupled to a record 26 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the trend is rising.
In the face of this outbreak of violence, Mr. Noboa, the youngest president in the country’s history, promised to declare a state of emergency, suspend certain basic rights such as freedom of movement and send the army into the streets.