Police confiscate marijuana plants in Jaco Beach

In a routine review of the property, officers found what appeared to be a nursery with marijuana plants of all sizes. / Ministry of Security courtesy photo.

-Monday, September 30, 2019-

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Police officers from the Jaco Beach* station, in the province of Puntarenas, confiscated what appeared to be a marijuana plant nursery being cultivated in that community.

According to the police report, the officers responded to a call about alleged family violence.

When the officers arrived at the house from where the call was made, the alleged aggressor was no longer in the house.

However, in a routine review of the property, officers found what appeared to be a nursery "with marijuana plants of all sizes," police said in the report.

According to the process, in this case, the officers coordinated with the agents of the Jaco Beach Prosecutor's Office for the confiscation of the plants as evidence in the case. They will subsequently destroy the plants.

No one person was reported arrested for this case.

In May, Guillermo Araya, director of the Costa Rican Institute on Drugs, said that growing cannabis for personal use is illegal because there are no regulations in the law that clarify the use of marijuana for personal use is legal.

"Until the Ministry of Health issues authorizations and regulations of the Narcotics Act, this will continue to be a crime," said Araya.

According to Article 58 of Law No. 8204 on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Drugs of Unauthorized Use, Related Activities, Capital Legitimation and Financing of Terrorism, it is a criminal offense and carries a prison sentence of 8 to 15 years for those who, "without legal authorization distribute, trade, supply, manufacture, manufacture, refine, transform, extract, prepare, cultivate, produce, transport, store or sell the drugs, substances or products referred to in this law, or grow the plants from which such substances or products are obtained.”

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Should the Costa Rican Institute on Drugs conduct an information campaign to clarify the mistaken belief that personal consumption of marijuana is legal in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com

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