The Great Cannabis Debate: What’s Up with Medical Marijuana in Costa Rica?

From The Costa Rica News (TCRN) we have been following up on everything that happens regarding “Cannabis” worldwide, this time with good news for the United States. The present week had its historic day, if we talk about the US, because after a struggle of months, 6 states said “Yes” to the sale of Medicinal Cannabis, with these Cannabis is now legal in 60% of the United States.

A key congressional committee, the Judicial Committee of the House of Representatives, voted in favor of approving the Marijuana Reinvestment and Opportunity Elimination Act (MORE) of 2019, or HR 3884, that is, The United States of America, removes Cannabis, at the federal level from the Controlled Substances Act.

The bill stipulates the elimination of certain federal cannabis convictions, with the expenses covered by a small special tax imposed on the cannabis legal industry, as well as the creation of a Cannabis Justice Office focused on reinvesting resources in communities most affected by the ban.

It should be noted that, when definitively approved, the law would allow the Small Business Administration to issue loans and grants to businesses related to marijuana. The bill currently has the support of more than 50 co-sponsors. In the opinion of the legislation, “it will not compensate for the total scale of damage that the prohibition has caused to its victims, and it will not return the lost dreams to anyone, or the time lost at the mercy of the criminal justice system; or the years they spent away from their families”.

Costa Rica and Cannabis, an update

Costa Rica does not escape contradictions in relation to cannabis. Some time ago, a Costa Rican deputy, Erick Rodríguez, proposed a Law to criminalize cannabis use in public and private places. It would fine 40 thousand colonies on consumers. This bill called “Law on the Control of Smoke from Cannabis Sativa and its harmful effects on health”, as recorded in file 21.597. In Costa Rica, a lot of debates and activities have been carried out regarding the cultivation of cannabis and its role in the field of health, but total approval has not yet been approved. Repeatedly, experts have commented that medical cannabis is the business that Costa Rica can take advantage of.

Specialists agree that the correct regulation of cannabis production and marketing for medicinal use is a business opportunity that the country so far lets pass. “The government loses income by not collecting taxes and not selling licenses, although several international companies may be interested in investing,” they said. In their opinion, they highlighted the fact of being able to export, taking advantage of the strategic location and that the United States is the largest global consumer of cannabis.

In that way, they explain that a medical marijuana market would be lucrative, taking into account the investments to install the laboratories, the collection of taxes in the United States, also profits from the sale of medicines and medical tourism.

Of course, it is not true that all marijuana is medicinal, that is why it is urgent to educate citizens more about the differences that exist regarding this plant, its benefits, and components. It has also been known that cannabis users take refuge in self-cultivation due to the lack of legislation. People with varied diagnoses, both cancer, arthritis or multiple sclerosis resort to the personal cultivation of cannabis to address their ailments, in the absence of a regulation that allows the marketing of medicinal products based on this plant.

A year ago the organization, “Costa Rica Alchemy“, became the first society for cannabis users with medicinal purposes in the country. This incredible group works for the protection of people with risks associated with the illicit cannabis market and defend the constitutional rights that consumers of this plant have. It is worth mentioning that the current legislation allows the personal cultivation and horticulture of this type of drug as long as it is in the necessary doses for specific treatments.

Is cannabis effective?

A few months ago, TCRN held a dialogue with Barry Kooda, who shared his experience about Cannabis. “My wife has cervical cancer and does not want to undergo conventional therapies since she considers that the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy outweigh the benefits”. “The day she started using “Full Extract Cannabis Oil” (FECO), her bleeding stopped and she continues to improve without any other types of treatments”. “Although none of us like to use Cannabis for recreational purposes, the health benefits seem promising”, Kooda states.

It is appropriate that there is more analysis towards the issue of Cannabis in Costa Rica, more education and, therefore, greater concern towards the contradictions that arise, while our TCRN team continues to inform about all the related news that arises.