The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica approved on Tuesday the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, despite opposition from the president, Carlos Alvarado, and conservative groups in the Central American country. The production and processing of cannabis were approved with the vote of 58% of the 57 seats, although it is still prohibited for recreational consumption, according to the text of the law, proposed in 2019 against the criteria of the Minister of Security, Michael Soto. This law marks a milestone because it opens a new market that would benefit the agricultural sector, affected in recent years, but it is far from being a gateway for drug use. I trust that President Alvarado has understood and will not veto it” said independent deputy Zoila Volio, one of the proponents of the law. The process of the law has pending the Alvarado seal. If the president rejects it, he would force the deputies to repeat the vote to put the law into effect but, this time, he would need the endorsement of the qualified majority. The approval of the Legislative Assembly also includes the food and industrial use of hemp, a strain of cannabis that Alvarado has supported since 2020 as a possible factor of economic reactivation after the COVID19 pandemic.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 10/25/2021 07:37:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/costa-rica-legalizes-marijuana-for-medicinal-use/