The President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, announced a project to approve recreational marijuana. During the official act commemorating the first 100 days of his administration, the President announced the initiative.
According to Chaves, the initiative will be sent to Congress for discussion. Likewise, He also affirmed that his administration would soon publish the regulation on medical cannabis, which the previous Congress approved.
“We have prepared the regulation of industrial hemp for medicinal use, and we will promote the bill for the legalization of marihuana for recreational use,” said the president in his speech.
Nevertheless, the President did not give any specific details on how recreational marijuana would be regulated.
The proposal does not take anyone by surprise; during the campaign, Rodrigo Chaves said he agreed with the legalization of marihuana and would move forward with the necessary reforms.
Chaves had also stated that there was scientific evidence to support the decision. In addition, he explained the case of several countries that legalized it and obtained good results.
In 2021, former Congressman Enrique Sanchez also presented a bill that sought to decriminalize the recreational use of cannabis. The legislators did not support it at that time.
Getting this project approved will not be an easy task. The proposal still generates many adverse reactions in certain sectors, and some political parties have opposed the legalization of marihuana in the past.
For example, Fabricio Alvarado, head of the New Republic Party (PNR), indicated that he would oppose the proposal.
However, other parties are willing to decriminalize marijuana consumption and hope there will be an open and transparent dialogue.
“We should analyze this proposal from different perspectives. The plan can be viable as long as the different ministries’ opinion is considered. I believe that it has been applied in developed countries, giving good results. It is important to speak openly”, noted Johana Obando, Congresswoman of the Progressive Liberal Party.
The reactions amongst Costa Ricans are divided: some believe that legalization is the best option, and others think it’s not the best choice for the country.
