National Academy of Medicine denounces medical marijuana bill

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June 15^th, 2015 (InsideCostaRica.com) Costa Rica’s National Academy of Medicine has categorically denounced a bill before the Legislature that would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

In a press release issued last week, the organization said that the medicinal uses of marijuana and its derivatives are “very limited,” adding that the “potential benefit [of medical marijuana] is no better than conventional medications currently available and in use.”

The Academy also expressed its concern that the bill, if approved would open the door for legislation legalizing the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, which it said “would lead to unpredictable and negative consequences” especially in “susceptible groups” such as minors.

The Costa Rican public health system, known as CCSS and the Ministry of Health have endorsed the bill with conditions, including the prohibition of recreational use.

Earlier this month, the president of Costa Rica’s Lutheran Church described marijuana as a “plant of God,” while expressing his approval of medicinal use of the plant, adding that “[marijuana] should not be demonized, the plant itself is harmless and can have a proper use.”