The medical use of marijuana by the public healthcare system of Costa Rica, known as La Caja, could generate $9 million in revenue, a figure that would be equivalent to 0.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Such is a legislative proposal that was presented last year by lawmaker Marvin Atencio, who represents the ruling Citizens’ Action political party (Spanish initials: PAC).

Earlier this year, analysts at La Caja did not see a problem with the legislative proposal, which aims to regulate production, regulation and prescription of medications containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance found in the flowering of certain plants in the genus Cannabis.

According to an analysis by business journalist Maria Siu Lanzas of business daily La Republica, the creation of an Institute for the Investigation and Regulation of Cannabis (Spanish acronym: IIRCA) would entail the generation of an industry that would produce medical weed at about $6 per gram as a raw material.

La Caja would use state funds to acquire the medicinal reefer from vendors approved by the IIRCA; should La Caja choose to purchase ganja already converted into a medication ready to be prescribed, the cost to taxpayers in Costa Rica would be $8 per gram. The idea would be to turn around and impose deep taxation on the profits of pot growers.

The Institute on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (Spanish acronym: IAFA) sees a problem with the creation of the IIRCA itself; not so much on the legalization of the chronic for medicinal purposes. The IAFA sees the IIRCA as easily corruptible; in fact, the institution actually believes that importing nugs ready for prescription would be a more sensible approach.

It is important to note that legalizing cannabinoids for medical purposes in Costa Rica would not automatically legalize personal possession of a large stash of blunts. As the law currently stands, personal possession of small amounts of herb merits confiscation but not criminal charges or an arrest. In Costa Rica, the IAFA sees drug use as a potential public health issue that requires treatment, and not penalization, in most cases.