The regulation of medical cannabis reaches the Costa Rican congress again. This time by the hand of the National Integration Party (PIN) deputy, Zoila Volio, who will try to take forward the project that is called the Cannabis and Hemp Production Law for Medical Purposes (exp 21,315)
The project proposes in advance that the production is destined as an exclusively pharmaceutical medicine and that its production is through commercial licenses.
“The text that we have presented is the result of several texts that have been submitted to the study of the Legislative Assembly and we intend that it be fully discussed,” said congresswoman Rojas to MCN.
Despite being a project to legalize the sale of cannabis, the news was not well received by the community since the text of the law does not contemplate the possibility of personal cultivation.
On the contrary, its wording suggests that there would be a ban on it. This would leave hundreds of patients who grow for self-cultivation protected by resolution 00481-2018 of Sala III.
“It seems to be just another law, focused on the increase of wealth of a few emulating the pharmaceutical industry behind the interest of patients. Patients buying when they could not depend on anyone, “said Mauricio Liscano, patient and founder of Pro Cannabis Patient Foundation.
However, at 6 pm this afternoon, the deputy referred to the issue clarifying that this issue has already been resolved by the courts of the State.
“The issue of self-cultivation has been resolved by Room III before the issue of cannabis use as a drug and not with the intention of trafficking or drug trafficking. The law contemplates production. “
Licenses
Text 21536 proposes that there are two types of licenses A and B.
Medicinal cannabis
License A: $ 150,000 (90 million) with unlimited cultivation, export and extraction capacity.
License B: $ 100,000 (30 million) with capacity to develop products to trade and export. They will not be able to carry out extractions or plant cannabis.
For hemp proposes the following:
License C: $ 75,000. Maximum cultivation capacity, 30 hectares.
License D: $ 50,000. Maximum cultivation capacity, 20 hectares.
License E: $ 25,000. Maximum cultivation capacity, 10 hectares.
“The structure of the project seeks that any production oriented to human consumption is governed by the Ministry of Health as the national governing body according to the laws of Costa Rica, also that the products are subject to the highest scientific standards of manufacture and allow safe consumption. of patients and users. “, added Rojas to MCN.
The last time this issue was discussed was when, in 2014, the deputy of the Citizen Action Party (PAC), Marvin Atencio, presented a text very similar to this one. After years of discussion the project was buried due to corruption cases around the licenses.
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