Costa Rica’s congress has passed a bill that allows citizens to grow cannabis and use it for medicinal purposes. President Carlos Alvarado is expected to sign the bill into law in the next few days.
Growing cannabis for recreational purposes will remain against the law. According to The BBC:
Following Tuesday’s vote, Costa Rica will join a host of other Latin American countries where medical marijuana has been made legal.
Recreational use of marijuana remains prohibited in most of the region except Uruguay, which in 2013 became the first country in the world to legalise it.
Costa Rica’s bill was not without controversy. President Alvarado vetoed an earlier version, arguing that limits needed to be placed on individual cultivation and consumption.
The amended bill has the backing of the president, who said it would be “of great benefit to Costa Rica”.
Patients who will benefit from easier access to medical marijuana took to Twitter to thank Zoila Rosa Volio, the lawmaker behind the bill, for pushing it through Congress.
One cancer patient posted a tearful video describing how medical marijuana had helped her regain her appetite and walk again.
A 2016 research paper found that when cannabis was used to alleviate cancer pain, it led to a 64-percent reduction in opioid use, improved quality of life, and far fewer side effects than opioids. It also led to participants using fewer medications.
