As announced and promised in his speech for the 100 days of Government, President Rodrigo Chaves signed this past Wednesday the bill that aims to legalize the sale, distribution, and consumption of recreational marijuana in Costa Rica. This document will be sent to the Legislative Assembly to start the process with approval in mind.
“This law allows the control and regulation of cannabis, marijuana for recreational use. It is no secret to anyone that in Costa Rica marijuana is consumed, increasingly openly, in parks and streets,” said the President.
Costa Rica has only 8 years to achieve the goal of gender equality, after a commitment made in 2015. The idea is to regulate the consumption of this drug, which is currently being sold and trafficked, generating many problems, not only health, but also safety.
“We want to regulate it and that the State, as well as society, have control over who, how, where and under what conditions it can be sold and produced legally,” he added.
Review by the President
Chaves assures that he knows that the project will bring headwinds and will generate a debate between those who agree and those who oppose legalizing marijuana use. He even says that he does not agree that young people and adults smoke marijuana, but that we must face the reality of the world and put ourselves on the same level as developed countries. “I don’t like that young people smoke marijuana, nor do old people, but it is a reality that we must face.”
Message to the deputies
President Chaves sent a message to the deputies of Congress to analyze the project and have a high-level discussion on the subject. “I ask the Legislative Assembly to have a technical and rational debate to ultimately decide what this society is going to do,” he said. There is no clarity on when the project will be sent to the Assembly, but it will be as soon as possible.
Call for caution
Since the previous year, the Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (IAFA) called for caution on the subject, especially since since then several politicians campaigning have used marijuana among their plans.
“Promoting the commercial and industrial use of some parts of this plant is not the same as deliberately and irresponsibly promoting consumption for non-medicinal purposes on social networks.
“It is omitted that marijuana is a psychoactive substance capable of producing dependence, significant cognitive, behavioral and mental alterations, especially in consumption at an early age,” IAFA indicated at that time.
