{"id":15646,"date":"2025-03-05T22:27:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T22:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/?p=15646"},"modified":"2025-03-05T22:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T22:27:42","slug":"costa-rica-medicinal-cannabis-an-evolving-regulatory-framework-and-investment-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/costa-rica-medicinal-cannabis-an-evolving-regulatory-framework-and-investment-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"COSTA RICA – Medicinal Cannabis: An Evolving Regulatory Framework and Investment Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Costa Rica continues to advance in the regulation of medicinal and therapeutic cannabis with the implementation of the\u00a0<\/span>Law on Cannabis for Medicinal and Therapeutic Use and Hemp for Food and Industrial Use (Law 10113)<\/b>, enacted on\u00a0<\/span>March 2, 2022<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On\u00a0<\/span>February 12, 2025<\/b>, the\u00a0<\/span>Regulations for Law No. 10113<\/b>\u00a0were approved, establishing specific rules for the application of the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main objective of the regulations is to\u00a0<\/span>regulate and allow access<\/b>\u00a0to cannabis and its derivatives within the permitted limits, ensuring the\u00a0<\/span>fundamental right to health<\/b>\u00a0for the Costa Rican population, strengthening\u00a0<\/span>public health<\/b>, and fostering the development of an\u00a0<\/span>emerging productive sector<\/b>. The framework sets clear rules for\u00a0<\/span>traceability, control, and transformation<\/b>\u00a0of this industry in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the key aspects of this regulation is the\u00a0<\/span>ethical and scientific oversight<\/b>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>biomedical research<\/b>. For this purpose, the\u00a0<\/span>Scientific Ethical Committee (CEC)<\/b>, an independent body accredited by the\u00a0<\/span>National Health Research Council (CONIS)<\/b>, has been established. Both entities will play a fundamental role in ensuring that studies comply with\u00a0<\/span>rigorous scientific and bioethical standards<\/b>, guaranteeing the\u00a0<\/span>competence of researchers, the protection of participants, and compliance with international norms<\/b>\u00a0in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

The regulations and the\u00a0<\/span>Law<\/b>\u00a0outline the three main types of licenses, each with specific activities and requirements:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. License for the Manufacturing of Psychoactive Cannabis Derivatives and\/or Medicinal Products<\/b>, granted for a renewable period of\u00a0<\/span>six years<\/b>, allowing the\u00a0<\/span>acquisition of raw materials, manufacturing, storage, transportation, and commercialization<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. License for the Importation of Psychoactive Cannabis Derivatives and\/or Finished Products for Commercialization<\/b>, also valid for\u00a0<\/span>six years<\/b>, including\u00a0<\/span>importation, storage, and transportation<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. License for the Importation of Propagative Material, Cultivation, and Primary Production of Psychoactive Cannabis<\/b>, also valid for\u00a0<\/span>six years<\/b>, covering\u00a0<\/span>seed acquisition, cultivation, harvesting, and commercialization<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Key Transitional Provisions<\/b><\/p>\n

    The regulations also include\u00a0<\/span>three main transitional provisions<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Transitional Provision I: Traceability System<\/b>
      \n<\/span>A\u00a0<\/span>traceability system<\/b>\u00a0must be implemented within\u00a0<\/span>24 months<\/b>\u00a0from the enforcement of the regulations. Until it becomes operational,\u00a0<\/span>oversight will be carried out<\/b>\u00a0by the\u00a0<\/span>Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG)<\/b>, the\u00a0<\/span>Ministry of Health (MS)<\/b>, and the\u00a0<\/span>Costa Rican Institute on Drugs (ICD)<\/b>, each within their respective competencies.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Transitional Provision II: Technical Regulation<\/b>
      \n<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>Ministry of Health<\/b>\u00a0has\u00a0<\/span>10 months<\/b>\u00a0to develop technical regulations on\u00a0<\/span>administrative provisions, health registration, and control of medicinal cannabis-based products and derivatives<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Transitional Provision III: One-Stop Investment Window<\/b>
      \n<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of Health, and the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER)<\/b>\u00a0have\u00a0<\/span>six months<\/b>\u00a0to coordinate the\u00a0<\/span>implementation of digital system adjustments<\/b>\u00a0that will enable connectivity with the\u00a0<\/span>One-Stop Investment Window<\/b>, facilitating the\u00a0<\/span>digital processing of applications<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Final Considerations<\/b><\/p>\n

      The\u00a0<\/span>new regulations<\/b>\u00a0represent significant progress in\u00a0<\/span>legal certainty and regulatory clarity<\/b>, essential factors for\u00a0<\/span>attracting foreign investment and fostering local investment<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      This regulatory framework is designed to attract\u00a0<\/span>foreign investors<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>support local producers<\/b>, positioning Costa Rica as a\u00a0<\/span>prime destination<\/b>\u00a0for the development of the\u00a0<\/span>medicinal and therapeutic cannabis industry<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Costa Rica is emerging as a\u00a0<\/span>key player<\/b>\u00a0in the\u00a0<\/span>Latin American medicinal cannabis market<\/b>, with legislation that balances\u00a0<\/span>access to innovative treatments with market safety and effective regulation<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Opportunities are on the table, but compliance with regulations will be the key to seizing them!<\/p>\n

      For more information, contact us:\u00a0info@central-law.com<\/p>\n

      Ricardo Rodr\u00edguez<\/b><\/strong><\/a>
      \nDirector IP<\/strong>
      \nCosta Rica<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Costa Rica continues to advance in the regulation of medicinal and therapeutic cannabis with the implementation of the\u00a0Law on Cannabis for Medicinal and Therapeutic Use and Hemp for Food and Industrial Use (Law 10113), enacted on\u00a0March 2, 2022. On\u00a0February 12, 2025, the\u00a0Regulations for Law No. 10113\u00a0were approved, establishing specific rules for the application of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","ofc_meta_disable_footer_callout":"","ofc_meta_callout_button_url":"","ofc_meta_callout_button_txt":"","ofc_meta_callout_text":"","ofc_enable_fullscreen":"disable","ofc_fullscreen_speed":0,"ofc_fullscreen_nav":"enable","ofc_fullscreen_nav_pos":"right","ofc_fullscreen_nav_color":"","ofc_fullscreen_nav_tooltip_color":"","ofc_fullscreen_responsive":0,"osh_disable_topbar_sticky":"default","osh_disable_header_sticky":"default","osh_sticky_header_style":"default","osh_sticky_header_effect":"","osh_custom_sticky_logo":0,"osh_custom_retina_sticky_logo":0,"osh_custom_sticky_logo_height":0,"osh_background_color":"","osh_links_color":"","osh_links_hover_color":"","osh_links_active_color":"","osh_links_bg_color":"","osh_links_hover_bg_color":"","osh_links_active_bg_color":"","osh_menu_social_links_color":"","osh_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[895,1219,1220,1221,1222,1223,1224,1225,1226,1227,1228,1229,1230],"class_list":["post-15646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-costa-rica-2","tag-cannabis-regulation-costa-rica","tag-medical-cannabis-costa-rica","tag-law-10113-costa-rica","tag-cannabis-investment-costa-rica","tag-cannabis-industry-in-latin-america","tag-cannabis-licenses-in-costa-rica","tag-regulatory-framework-for-medical-cannabis","tag-production-and-cultivation-of-medical-cannabis","tag-regulations-on-therapeutic-cannabis","tag-supervision-of-biomedical-research-on-cannabis","tag-importation-and-commercialization-of-cannabis-derivatives","tag-cannabis-control-and-traceability-in-costa-rica","tag-foreign-investment-in-medical-cannabis","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15667,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15646\/revisions\/15667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central-law.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}