Guillermo Argüello G, President of Costa Rican Hemp Association – Interview Series

Costa Rica is known for the resplendence of its beautiful coastal sceneries, volcanoes, cloud forests, and exemplary wildlife. Boasting of two oceans (yes two!), sky-high precipices, and a total of 368 peaks to explore. A trip to Ticos is a bucket list holiday destination for many.

In 2021, Costa Rica marked 200 years of independence. A year later the “most beautiful country in the world” has more than one reason to celebrate. Costa Rica is on the verge of legalizing cannabis for medical use.

In October last year, the Costa Rican Congress approved a bill to legalize cannabis for medical use. A second debate was held this year and many good things came out of it. 29 deputies voted in favor against 10 who voted against the “Law Of Cannabis For Medicinal And Therapeutic Use And Hemp For Food And Industrial Use In Costa Rica.”

The debate which was held on 13th January gave all indications that hemp and cannabis will soon become integral to the economy and health system in Costa Rica. However, there is still one more hurdle to cross over. On Thursday, Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado vetoed the bill citing health and security grounds. He requested for changes to be made to the bill, after which he promised to approve it.

Cannabis enthusiasts have worked relentlessly to get to this point. This has taken lobbying, campaigning, and creating awareness about cannabis and the efforts are now being rewarded. MyCannabis.com spoke to the President of the Costa Rican Hemp Association, William Argüello about this journey. This is a non-profit association, which was created to support the research, cultivation, and development of SMEs related to cannabis.

The interview was quite insightful.

How has the journey towards legalization been for you, on a personal level?

My background is in Finance. A while back, I didn’t know anything about hemp or cannabis, and I didn’t care about it. The terminology used to explain cannabis and hemp did not make it easy for me to understand anything, or even why there was a fuss about it.

Things however took a different turn when I heard that cannabis and hemp can be used to make 30,000 different products. This caught my attention and I began to go deeper into reading about this plant. I also began to share with people who were knowledgeable about the subject to such an extent that they offered me to participate in a non-profit association.

I was then appointed as the president of the hemp association in Costa Rica. This made me commit myself to the project. We started to work with agencies such as Procomer (which promotes Costa Rican exports), as well as with the deputies and their advisors. We worked on giving suggestions to the cannabis bill presented by deputy Zoila Rosa. Getting the project presented in Congress was exciting and frustrating at the same time. It has been especially frustrating to deal with people who have clung to the stereotypes and myths that have been associated with cannabis for so many years.

What will be the greatest benefit of having cannabis legalized in Costa Rica?

This year, Costa Rica is celebrating the bicentennial of the independence of Costa Rica (200 years). It happens to be the same year that Costa Rica is making progressive decisions regarding cannabis, a plant that has been misunderstood and misrepresented the world over for so many years.

Seventy-three years ago, Costa Rica made decisions that completely changed its growth trajectory. Decisions were made to replace rifles with books, barracks with classrooms, the army was abolished, and the Costa Rican social security fund was created. Over the years, the country has taken strides towards reinventing the status quo, the decision to legalize cannabis is a culmination. The greatest benefit of legalizing cannabis is that Costa Rica will continue to make a positive difference within and without its boundaries.

The global cannabis market is worth billions of dollars. Is the economic potential a driver for legalizing cannabis in Costa Rica, seeing that the country can be a major exporter?

The economy of Costa Rica will benefit from the legalization of cannabis, and for sure, this is one of the motivations to legalize the plant. There are 30,000 potential uses of the raw material from cannabis that can revolutionize the economy of the country, should legalization happen.

However, the true and full potential of the economy of Costa Rica is hinged on different elements. For example, the health of the Ticos through the Costa Rican Social Security Fund is an important contributor to the economy of the country. There is also the attraction of investment through Procomer, CINDE, and COMEX.

The 50 years of the Technological University of Costa Rica as well as other public and private universities provide the knowledge that is needed to spur the economy. The geographical location of the country and the Costa Rican human talent, all of these elements together, just to mention a few, are the ones that make Costa Rica grow.

Will legalization increase drug use in Costa Rica? Are these fears valid?

Absolutely not, these fears are not valid.

Legalization would not increase drug use in Costa Rica; it all boils down to personal choice. This is like saying that if we increase the variety of credit cards, it would increase the personal indebtedness of the user. The card is an instrument where the person makes a decision to use it favorably or detrimentally. Legalization brings more benefits than harm. However, there are people whose decisions will not be the right ones and they will therefore have to face the consequences.

Now that President Alvarado vetoed the bill, what next?

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who usually change it.” 

Steve Jobs

We still believe that cannabis will one day become legal in Costa Rica, and our dreams will be realized. But meanwhile, there is a problem with 2 articles of self-consumption and self-cultivation that the executive power does not want to accept and needs to be changed for the president to approve the bill. Otherwise, the rest of the project will remain as it is. We are confident that this project in a few months will be the law of the republic.

We are committed to supporting the paperwork for products so that they are safe for the consumer. As an association, we are also in the process of organizing educational seminars, engaging foreign investors, seeking banking alternatives to support farmers, and making free trade agreements with different countries. Above all, we are driven by “PURA VIDA” which is helping us get out of the financial crisis that the pandemic has brought us into.

And that was the parting shot from the President of the Costa Rican Hemp Association who thinks that it is just a matter of time before cannabis becomes legal in Costa Rica. If the chips align as he predicts then Costa Rica will join the likes of Australia that have greenlighted cannabis as medicine.