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Published Thursday, January 21, 2021
Costa Rican government begins
growing cannabis-hemp
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The government began cultivating cannabis-hemp grown at the Enrique Jiménez Núñez experimental station in Cañas in Guanacaste Province. Cultivation is producing excellent results, according to specialists from the National Institute for Innovation and Technology Transfer, INTA.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, cannabis-hemp evaluations began in October 2020. The process first began by introducing into the country the first in vitro seedlings of three different strains of industrial cannabis-hemp, known as Cannabis sativa L. Sativa. The strains of the plant are Queen Dream, Maya Grain and Cherry Blossom.
Once the first cannabis-hemp plants can be harvested, the process of drying and cutting the flower begins, followed by measuring the humidity and CBD (Cannabinoid) content, which is the essential material of the cannabis-hemp plant and an important part of the evaluations, the ministry said in its statement.
“The harvesting process begins with the defoliation of the plants, that is, the leaves are cut to leave only the inflorescences (or buds) on the plant. The plant is dried for four days, in a cold chamber," explained Arturo Solórzano-Arroyo, Director of INTA. "Then, the buds are separated from the rest of the plant, one by one, and kept in glass jars for further studies of product quality and to assess the quantity and quality in the conditions in which we grow it."
According to the institute results, these cannabis-hemp varieties have great potential for different industrial uses, such as:
• Using the oils of the plant in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.
• Inputting the fiber for textile use.
• Seeds are a superfood for people.
• Recycling the leaves and roots to produce tea, herbal teas, compost or animal feed.
Renato Alvarado-Rivera, Minister of Agriculture, supports the progress of the investigations, especially since the results of cultivating the controversial plant shows that it’ll have a great impact in the country.
"We continue to obtain valuable information on cannabis-hemp, for oil extraction," Alvarado said. "We are confident that the appropriate legislation will soon exist to continue the process and that our farmers can reap the benefits of a growing and important market, in the short term, which offers important opportunities."
Research is being carried out at the institute to verify the behavior of cannabis-hemp plantations in the Caribbean Coast and Guanacaste Province, which will last for approximately three or four more months. Twelve cannabis-hemp plantations already exist in the country, and will soon be evaluated.
These evaluations will make it possible to determine the agronomic conditions, the susceptibility to pests and diseases, in two regions of the country, according to Alfredo Bolaños, chief researcher of the INTA Cannabis project.
The government promotes the cultivation of cannabis-hemp for industrial purposes, as an option for economic reactivation.
According to the ministry, based on the investigations of marijuana-hemp being carried out at INTA, will determine how to allow the use and processing of the cannabis plant for medical and scientific purposes. There is a legal basis according to the exceptions contemplated in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances law.
In Sept. 2020, the deputies of the Commission of Environment of Congress pre-approved bill No 21,388 so-called "Law for the production of cannabis and hemp for medicinal purposes."
According to Congress, the bill regulates and allows the access, use of cannabis and its derivatives exclusively for medicinal and therapeutic use. Furthermore, the law authorizes the production and commercialization of cannabis-hemp for industrial and food use. The law also encourages production chains that essentially benefit small agricultural producers.
The law includes a prison penalty of six to 12 years for people not authorized to grow poppy plants (papaver somniferum), coca (erythroxilon coca), and marijuana (cannabis indica and cannabis sativa) according to the bill.
People not authorized to plant any other plants or seeds with effects similar to those mentioned above and whose cultivation, possession or trafficking has been declared prohibited or restricted by the Ministry of Health are also punished with jail.
The new law orders for authorized people to oblige by the rules for producing cannabis and derivatives. For example, it will allow for immediate entry of representatives from the Ministry of Security to their agro-industrial establishment, laboratory, greenhouse, industrial, commercial or warehouse premises.
Ministry officials will be able to take samples, make measurements of quality, biosecurity, and innocuousness, among others. This is to control the conditions of the cultivation, production, traffic, possession, storage or supply of medicines and especially seeds, roots, plants, flowers and narcotics and psychotropic substances or products, the Congress said in its statement.
Law also establishes a tax of 5% of net profits on the income obtained from the production of authorized activities for cannabis for medical therapeutic use and hemp for industrial or food use.
Also, the law allows the Ministry of Agriculture in coordination with the National Institute of Learning and public universities to provide training, technical assistance, and develop research related to these cannabis and hemp crops. The aforementioned institutions will also provide technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises or agricultural organizations so that they can obtain licenses for cultivation and successfully enter authorized activities, Congress said.
The next step, for the advancement of the law, is an additional analysis by all the deputies, for the final vote for or against the law.
The bill was presented to Congress by deputy Zoila Rosa Volio, for the use of cannabis hemp.
The law does not regulate the recreational consumption of cannabis or its hemp but is limited to an industrial regulation of the medicinal and industrial production of cannabis and its hemp.
In May 2020, President Carlos Alvarado announced that he promotes the cultivation of cannabis-hemp, as part of the action plan for the economic reactivation of the post-covid-19 pandemic. "We will promote the cultivation of cannabis-hemp to reactivate the productive sector, with all the guarantees and securities," he said.
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How will legalizing the industrial use of cannabis or its hemp impact Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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