Costa Rica has said it supports hemp production, but has expressed reservations with cannabis, claiming it would need to create mechanisms to prevent its recreational use.
For many Costa Ricans, marijuana legalization conjures images of dreadlocked hippies lying in hammocks getting baked. This perception is precisely what CannaCosta 2015, Central America's first annual conference about the medicinal and industrial uses of cannabis and hemp, tried to change.
Latin American countries have been slow to follow Uruguay's lead in legalizing pot. A 2014 survey in Costa Rica found that 53 percent of the population supported the use of medical marijuana.
