Although hemp and marijuana are the same species, "hemp is defined as a cannabis plant that contains 0.3 percent or less THC, while marijuana is a cannabis plant that contains more than 0.3 percent THC," according to a Healthline journal article.

According to the Ministry of Health, both companies met the requirements established by law to get the hemp production and trade license for six years.

To obtain a legal cultivation license for hemp or cannabis, companies must first open an application to the National Directorate of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry. Applicants must meet the requirements, where the ministry conducts an investigation. Once everything is complete without any anomalies, the ministry would issue the respective license that authorizes the growing, production and trade of hemp or marijuana.

Both firms must follow rigorous standards for the production and sale of their products following the parameters established by law. Otherwise, the production license would be annulled, authorities said.

Hemp is a versatile plant that has been cultivated for thousands of years for various purposes, including fiber, seeds, and oil. It belongs to the Cannabis sativa species but contains only trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana. 

Recently the firm Azul Wellness S.A. was the first company in Costa Rica authorized to grow and process marijuana for cannabis production in an area of 800 square meters in a greenhouse located in Guanacaste Province.

Last year, the government legalized medicinal and therapeutic cannabis and hemp for food and industrial use. But, recreational use, self-cultivation and self-consumption of the cannabis plant are still illegal in Costa Rica.