Boy, do not touch that plug: The table of drug use in Ecuador in the light of critical criminology

Abstract

espanolEn Ecuador, algunos operadores politicos lograron el decreto de una disposicion que permite altas cantidades de consumo de sustancias ilicitas sin atender las otras partes de la cadena. Si bien los defensores de la tabla de consumo utilizan fuentes de la criminologia critica, se observa que tal enfoque no es pertinente sin abordar el contexto, esto es: la situacion delictiva y los aparatos del control social en funcionamiento. Este articulo senala el peligro de: a) permitir un aumento no deseable de la oportunidad criminal, b) asumir erroneamente que la tabla de consumo llevara a la abolicion, c) confundir la existencia de un proceso de criminalizacion de los sectores subordinados con convertir al delincuente en un actor politico del cambio democratico. Al mismo tiempo, varios investigadores indicaron como se producia la relacion entre el decreto de la tabla de tenencia o consumo y el aumento de las actividades delictivas. EnglishIn Ecuador, some political operators achieved a legal disposition that allows high amounts of illicit substance consumption without addressing the other parts of the production and distribution chain. Although the defenders of the consumption table use sources of critical criminology, it is observed that such an approach is not relevant without addressing the context, that is: the criminal situation and the apparatuses of social control in operation. This article points out the danger of: a) allowing an undesirable increase of the criminal opportunity, b) erroneously assuming that the consumption table will lead to abolition, c) confusing the existence of a process of criminalization of the subordinate sectors with converting the delinquent in a political actor of democratic change. At the same time, several researchers indicated how the relationship between the decree of the tenure or consumption table and the increase in criminal activities took place.