# Is cannabis legal in Ecuador?

> Medical use only. The legal purchase route in Ecuador is a licensed pharmacy dispensing on a prescription; products above the low-THC threshold require a special controlled prescription. Rule jurisdiction: Ecuador. Reviewed: 2026-08-30.

Source page: https://420.camp/weed/ecuador  
Verified: 2026-08-30 (rule reviewed against its source) Scope: Ecuador.  
Published by 420.camp — quote with attribution and a link (https://420.camp/license).

## Facts

- **Legal status:** Medical use only. The legal purchase route in Ecuador is a licensed pharmacy dispensing on a prescription; products above the low-THC threshold require a special controlled prescription. Rule jurisdiction: Ecuador. Reviewed: 2026-08-30.
- **Can tourists buy:** Prohibited. Ecuador is not a tourist purchase channel: a local medical procedure and prescription are required to access a licensed pharmacy. Rule jurisdiction: Ecuador. Reviewed: 2026-08-30.
- **How to buy:** Get a prescription (a special controlled prescription for higher-THC products) and buy at a licensed pharmacy.
- **Where purchase is legal:** Pharmacies
- **Medical access:** Medical use only. Patients obtain cannabis medicines at a licensed pharmacy with a prescription; a special controlled prescription is needed for higher-THC products. Rule jurisdiction: Ecuador. Reviewed: 2026-08-30.
- **Important restrictions:** There is no adult-use or recreational retail channel. Higher-THC products require a special controlled prescription. 1% THC is a boundary between prescription categories, not a maximum. A local medical procedure is required. 1% THC separates prescription categories rather than capping strength. Visitors have no walk-in legal purchase channel. A local medical procedure is required; a foreign prescription is normally not enough. Never carry cannabis across a national border. THC: 1% THC is a boundary between prescription categories, not a max.

## Sources
- [controlsanitario.gob.ec](https://www.controlsanitario.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2021/06/Acuerdo-Ministerial-148_Reglamento-para-el-uso-terapeutico-prescripcion-y-dispensacion-del-cannabis-medicinal-y-productos-farmaceuticos-que-contienen-cannabinoides.pdf)
- [controlsanitario.gob.ec](https://www.controlsanitario.gob.ec/normativa-cannabis/)

Consumption places and rules: https://420.camp/consume/ecuador