On Wednesday morning, Carlos Alvarado, the President of the Republic of Costa Rica, signed the Law on Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp after the final approval of the deputies. A previous attempt at the legislation was vetoed by President Carlos Alvarado earlier this year as he didn’t support the self-cultivation of cannabis for patients. The final legislation got approved with 35 votes in favor and 22 against.
Lawmaker Zoila Rosa Volio said the bill maintains core pieces of the original legislation.
“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,” Volio said.
Carlos Alvarado expressed his support in a statement earlier this week: “I want to say that I support medical cannabis. We resorted to a partial veto and recommended three changes to the text” which were enough to finally pass a restricted version of the first proposal.
The president pointed out that this bill represents very positive points for the country: “To relieve chronic pain and provide treatment to people who need it, and to improve health opportunities for people. This is just one big goal, and this law fulfills it. The other great achievement of this law is that hemp can be industrialized, an activity that could reinvigorate our agriculture, especially our rural areas, with a culture and a new industry that could be developed from it,” he added.
“I celebrate the final approval of the Hemp and Cannabis Law after the veto. In this way, job opportunities and alternative treatments will be generated for many patients with chronic diseases,” said Silvia Hernández, president of the Legislature.
The text must now be published in the Official Journal to come into force. The bill comes almost three years after the start of the process at the Legislative Assembly.
The law will allow Costa Rican authorities to grant licenses for the production of cannabis for medical purposes. The bill also legalizes the cultivation and industrial production of hemp. However, recreational marijuana will continue to be prohibited.
