Latin America, duly registered since January this year in the National Registry of Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica the use of marijuana or cannabis for medicinal purposes is still not legalized, but a group of 10 friends decided to start paving the way by creating this association, which has the purpose of “studying the varieties of cannabis and their different scientific, cultural and therapeutic applications. As well as preventing the dangers users are exposed to when trying to get this drug in the illicit market, and defending the rights of the consumers of this plant”.

“Costa Rica Alchemy is the first entity of its type in Latin America, even when in countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Mexico, legislation now allows the use and commercialization of cannabis, there are no associations formally registered”, assured Javier Bermudez, president of the association in an interview with online news site CRHoy.

“We have to educate the authorities in the topic of medicinal cannabis and hemp”, explained Gerald Murray, founding member of the association.

According to Bermudez, the idea is that those who need cannabis for medicinal use can approach the association and get what they need in a safe place.

“We will start with the registration of products in the Ministry of Health, which would allow us to sell them freely to people over 18 years of age once we get the sanitary permit. The association would work as social clubs do in Barcelona or Madrid, the coffee shops in Amsterdam or the dispensaries in Denver”, commented Bermudez.