On January 13, the Legislative Assembly of the Government of Costa Rica approved the Law on cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic use and hemp for food and industrial use.

This bill, which allows the access and use of cannabis and its derivatives for medicinal and therapeutic purposes, as well as the production and marketing of hemp for food and industrial use, also regulates the mechanisms of planting, cultivation, harvesting, production, processing, storage, distribution, industrialization and export of cannabis and its varieties, as well as the import and reproduction of seeds, and the recording before the Ministry of Health of the use of products containing cannabis.

The initiative encourages the development of the Cannabis industry in Costa Rica while guaranteeing access to cannabis and its derivatives for all persons whose medical advice requires it for health reasons.

The Ministry of Health would regulate and control cannabis varieties for medicinal use, while the granting of licenses for food and industrial use would fall to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.