Last March 1, 2022, Congress of Costa Rica approved the “Law on Cannabis for Medicinal and Therapeutic use and on Hemp for Food and Industrial uses” Nº10.113.
This marks a milestone for the country due to the law’s cultural and ideological content, as well as the commercial and economic impact on which its original text was based, without forgetting the close relationship with the health sector.
The law has two main focuses, on one hand, the authorization of the use of hemp for medicinal, therapeutic, industrial, and food uses. Additionally, from an economic point of view it creates incentives for the production, industrialization, and marketing of that plant.
Passing of the Law offers the possibility to impact economy directly through production approaches that are without a doubt novel and even from new and better marketing and work generation strategies.
Within the main axis and constitutive elements of protection of this law we can highlight the following: legal regulation and productive control, medicinal and economic benefits for the population, granting of production licenses and permits, manufacturing of derived products, labs, industrialization, research activities, domestic cultivation, and marketing.
Additionally, it promotes the granting of incentives and benefits for producers and Pymes focused on industrialization and marketing, such as tax incentives, financing, and access to loans.
In this same sense, benefits for the export of raw materials and processed products, as well as the authorization to operate under the Duty-Free Zone regimen for companies in charge of the production, processing, and marketing of products derived from this plant.
Besides these productive and commercial incentives, support and creation of optimal conditions for research, scientific development, and innovation will be stimulated.
This law authorizes and allows Costa Rica to incur in a market that has, up to now, been unexplored. Costa Rica is at the doors of starting a new phase for economic development by passing this law; we must only wait for the corresponding bylaws that will possibly fall upon the Administration that takes office this next eighth day of May, but it is expected to be issued quickly since it is an initiative supported by many sectors of the Costa Rican society.
Roberto Esquivel
Email: resquivel@ollerabogados.com