QCOSTARICA – The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and research has received the endorsement of Costa Rica’s Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) – Costa Rican Social Security Fund, with eight votes in favor and one against, said on Friday, Mario Devandas, director of the CCSS.
The executive said the initiative proposes the creation of an institute for regulating the cultivation, processing and production of cannabis in the country, and that the CCSS distribute medicines made from it, after have the authorization of the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud).
The bill was introduced by legislator for the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), Marvin Atencio.
“La Caja would add the drug after going through all these stages,to the official list of drugs and establish what kind of diseases and in what dosage the drug could be used in the institution,” said Devandas.
According to promoters of the initiative in the country such as Movimiento Cannabis Medicinal Costa Rica (Costa Rica Movement Medicinal Cannabis), marijuana is beneficial for diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, anorexia, depression, stress, anxiety and sleep disorders, among others.
Not in agreement with the CCSS endorsement is the Instituto sobre Alcoholismo y Farmacodependencia (IAFA) – Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
IAFA director, Luis Eduardo Sandí, expressed concern by the CCSS, saying the decision (to legalize) the use of marijuana could shoot up consumption.
“What the Caja is doing is opening discussion, but we, technically and based on our experience, we cannot promote an initiative that promotes the use of marijuana by adolescents,” said Sandí.
long overdue
Sandi sounds as if he is concerned about protecting his turf, as his primary objection concerns something not suggested in the proposal. I really don’t think that anyone is suggesting that marijuana be distributed to minors, except, perhaps in very exceptional cases, such as intractable seizure disorders – and then, a low-THC variety could be used. With the Caja dispensing the substance, there would be little chance of use increasing. Nobody really knows how many users exist in CR, so it would be difficult, if not impossible, to measure whether use increases. Reports from other countries, however, indicate that use of harder drugs and alcohol actually decreases when cannabis is legalized.
As a chronic pain sufferer, I applaud this recommendation by the Caja. I presently receive strong medications from a Caja pain clinic, and it doesn’t help me manage my pain nearly as well as when I was smoking or eating cannabis. It would be great to be able to get cannabis tinctures or oils from the Caja. The caja probably wouldn’t even need to grow it – they could process illegally imported and confiscated marijuana. The Caja would save money by substituting cannabis for expensive drugs they currently provide.
I wish that the country would just legalize and tax the stuff. Doing so would certainly increase tourism if the fact were publicized – look at the increase in tourism in Colorado – and all the tax money they have collected. The tourism people should be promoting legalization as a revenue generator.
Of course it should be legalized ,Taxed and controlled, but all of the Tax money should go to the schools and not one dollar to the the Government who shoulld reduce there benefits by 90%!