QCOSTARICA – The bill that would allow the hemp and medicinal cannabis industry in Costa Rica is one step away from becoming law.
Thursday morning, legislators finished hearing the pending motions and the bill now goes to the plenary for a vote in the first debate.
Parties such as Liberación Nacional, Unidad, and the PAC, as well as other independent legislators, advocate approving the initiative as soon as possible and thus generate employment and productive chains.
With the entry into force of the law, national farmers and exporters would have access to a world market of US$14 billion a year by 2025, according to the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer).
Best of all is that at the moment the products derived from this plant already drive businesses for about US$5 billion, which would allow immediate benefits to be reaped.
The medicinal use and production of cannabis and hemp is legal in more than 20 countries, with a global market before the pandemic of 1 billion people.
In this sense, Costa Rica can become a development pole and cluster of companies.
Arthritis, asthma, cancer and chronic pain are some of the conditions that could be treated with medical cannabis.
As for hemp, supplements, food, beverages, industrial application products such as bioplastics and sustainable construction could be made, as well as dairy products, bakery, seeds and snacks.