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Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
4th May 2023
Costa Rica: President Rodrigo Chaves has chosen the bill to legalise sale and consumption of recreational cannabis to be heard in extraordinary sessions of the Legislative Assembly. The bill is one of 48 to be debated by the legislature in the next three months.7th February 2023
Costa Rica: Following the Executive Branch’s controversial decision to present a bill to legalise the sale of recreational cannabis, the Ministry of Health has proposed that it should be sold in grocery stores and supermarkets, to combat the illegal market, press reports. The bill’s original text proposed sales only in cafes, clubs and dispensaries.
26th January 2023
- Costa Rica: After being rejected by several sectors of society, the Executive Branch has decided to present a new bill to legalise the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis, press reports. The minister of the Presidency, Natalia Díaz Quintana, said that the government is analysing the criticisms of the current recreational cannabis bill in order to develop a new proposal. No date for the introduction of the new bill has been disclosed.
19th January 2023
Costa Rica: The National Assembly has published a technical report about the recreational cannabis legalisation bill. The report warns that the bill may be unconstitutional as it is contrary to international treaties. “If Costa Rica intends to open up the use of cannabis for adults, it must follow the respective international procedures,” the report says.
16th January 2023
- Costa Rica: During a meeting organised by the Legislative Assembly Environment Committee on the recreational cannabis legalisation bill, the vice-minister of health Alexei Carrillo showed his support for legalisation, but acknowledged that the ministry lacks the resources for the controls established in the bill, press reports.
7th December 2022
Costa Rica: The Ministry of Health has published guidelines on the procedure for requesting the authorisation necessary to manufacture, store, transport, use, distribute and sell hemp derivatives. The application forms and relevant documents are provided on the ministry website.
30th November 2022
Costa Rica: The Legislative Assembly Environment Committee has unanimously agreed to ask the Episcopal Conference and the Evangelical Alliance for an opinion on the recreational cannabis legalisation bill, press reports.
23rd November 2022
Costa Rica: The Judicial Investigation Agency has announced its opposition to a bill – put forward by president Rodrigo Chaves – to legalise cannabis for recreational use, press reports. The agency, part of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, said legalising recreational consumption would cause more harm than good and could lead to the consumption of stronger drugs. The bill is currently under consideration by the Legislative Assembly Environment Committee.
7th November 2022
- Costa Rica: On 4th November the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock approved the first licence to cultivate and process hemp for food and industrial purposes. The procedure to obtain a licence was established in the industrial hemp regulations, signed by the president in September 2022, to further develop the Cannabis for Medicinal and Therapeutic Use and on Hemp for Food and Industrial Use Law. There are currently seven more licences to cultivate and process hemp under consideration, and one for medicinal cannabis.
7th October 2022
- Costa Rica: The bill to legalise recreational cannabis announced yesterday (6th October) by president Rodrigo Chaves was published on the National Assembly website. The bill authorises the possession of up to 30 g of the plant, home cultivation without a licence of up to six plants, and the establishment of social consumption clubs.
6th October 2022
Costa Rica: The government has sent a Cannabis Control and Regulation Bill to the Legislative Assembly. While the bill has not yet been published, president Rodrigo Chaves Robles said: “The project aims to legalise, control and regulate the consumption, cultivation, production and marketing of cannabis for recreational purposes.”
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