On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, Costa Rica’s Congress officially passed a bill to legalize the use of medical marijuana. As current President Carlos Alvarado is planning to sign the new law within the next upcoming days, the legislation will allow the sale and utilization of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes only. This specific move transitions the Central American country to enter an entirely new group of Latin American countries that have legalized medical marijuana such as Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and so many more.
“The veto did not affect the key components of this proposal, which will bring investment, generate employment, allow access to millionaire markets, and reactivate the agricultural sector,” independent local lawmaker Zoila Rosa Volio publicly announced in regards to the recent bill.
Back in January of this year, Alvarado vetoed a similar version of this same law due to it reportedly not having enough filtering and limits to its “consumption of cannabis and individual cultivation.” After the initial declaration, a patient receiving the newly legalized treatment at a local medical facility shared a heartfelt video that described how using medical marijuana had assisted her in reclaiming her hunger and ability to walk again. Marijuana manufacturers all throughout Costa Rica must now cooperate with the Costa Rican Drug Institute (ICD) to pass their health institution reviews if they want to further the production of their popular products.