Legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes

By IDeas trademarks & patents

Costa Rica's Congress on January 13, 2021, approved the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. 

The initiative intends to regulate and allow the access and use of cannabis and its derivatives exclusively for medicinal and therapeutic use.

In addition, it authorizes the production, industrialization and commercialization of hemp for industrial and food use and psychoactive cannabis for exclusively medicinal and therapeutic purposes and its derivative products.

It also seeks to promote the economic and social development in rural areas of Costa Rica, by encouraging the production, industrialization and marketing of hemp and psychoactive cannabis for exclusively medicinal and therapeutic purposes and its productive derivatives.

With the commercial exploitation of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis, domestic farmers and exporters would have access to a global market of US$14 billion a year by 2025, according to the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER), the Agency in charge of promoting Costa Rican exportations of goods and services.