en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en ru en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en fr en en en en en nl en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en sv en en de en en en en en de en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en
Catholic bishops' conference sides with the government in opposing the legalizing of cannabis for medicinal use bill approved by the Legislative Assembly
By La Croix International staff | Costa Rica
Catholic bishops in Costa Rica have expressed their position of not being in favor of a bill to legalize cannabis for medicinal use, hoping to weigh in on a dispute between the government and legislators over whether it should or should not be made a law.
The Legislative Assembly has on a second debate approved the bill called "Law on cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic use and Hemp for food and industrial use".
The bill was passed with 29 of 57 deputies voting in favor and published January 7. It was approved in the first legislative debate last year, with the Constitutional Court signing off on it in November.
President Carlos Alvarado has not yet announced whether it will sign or veto the initiative or send a counterproposal to the Legislative Assembly, even as lawmakers have urged him not to veto the bill and to respect the will of the majority.
In the interim period, the Catholic bishops have asked both the government and legislators to "reflect" on the bill while at the same time saying the bill contains provisions that entail risks to public health and safety, something that legislators said the bill has regulated by limiting cannabis to medicinal and therapeutic use and not legalizing adult-use (recreational) marijuana.
Legislators also said that the bill seeks to promote the economic and social development in rural areas of Costa Rica, by encouraging the production, industrialization and marketing of hemp and psychoactive cannabis for exclusively medicinal and therapeutic purposes and its productive derivatives.
Nonetheless, a statement of the Costa Rica Bishops' Conference, signed by its president Bishop José Manuel Garita Herrera of Ciudad Quesada, said "there are no guarantees that such crops can contribute to promoting the distribution of wealth in rural areas", since "no measures are foreseen that will bring sufficient benefits to smallholders received to change the type of cultivation."
Bishop Garita in that statement pointed out that in the event the Poder Ejecutivo (Executive Branch) signs the bill into law, all mechanisms that manage to nullify the health and safety risks of this activity must be ensured.
The bishops fear that "an uncontrolled cultivation of psychoactive cannabis" would cause "severe damage to public health, especially the youth population".
Furthermore, "monocultures are involved in environmental degradation" and it will also be "extremely difficult to control illegal cannabis plantations" since they are similar to hemp plantations and would fuel criminal groups, as has happened in other countries.
According to the bishops, the recommendation of the University of Costa Rica not to support the bill, which is based on the observations of academic experts from the faculties of medicine, pharmacy and biology and the Institute for Pharmaceutical Research, deserves "special attention".
It should also be examined whether the authorizations granted for cultivation and self-consumption are incompatible with the provisions of the international conventions signed by Costa Rica, the Catholic bishops said.
"These and other observations", they said, "lead us to ask the authorities to consider the benefits and harms of this law, adopted at the legislative stage, for the benefit of the entire national population".
Local media have reported that the Executive Branch is looking for a mechanism to fix the approved bill without the need to veto it, specifically in the article that refers to self-consumption.
While President Alvarado has not categorically said he will not sign the law, his ministers in a press conference on January 24 has set out reasons why the government opposes the bill.
These include aspects such as exposing patients to possible overdoses, since doses to be consumed are not specified; that self-cultivation and self-consumption would make it difficult to take action against illicit drug trafficking and against organized crime; and that the bill goes against different conventions to which the country has adhered too.
Get the latest from La Croix International. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter.
You may also like
Televised Mass and the synodal Church
Gracious words they would not accept
Hankering for the good old days
Amid forest fires in Paraguay, bishops reiterate Christian vocation to safeguard environment
Walking alongside the people of Ivory Coast
SUPPORT LA CROIX INTERNATIONAL’S COMMUNITY OF READERS
Support La Croix International's unique blend of international Catholic journalism by making it available to people in Asia and Africa who can't afford a subscription and often don't have credit cards to pay for it either.
Will Italy’s elections hurt Francis?
"The voice of Italy’s bishops has almost disappeared from the public square"
Church on the sidelines in Italian election campaign
Pope Francis will visit Hungary in 2023, according to country's president
A good Catholic meddles in politics
Why Pope Francis did not attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Elizabeth II, the “last Christian monarch”, has died
A challenge for Europe
Shaking up the economy
Peace, our common good
For 70 years she “was” the United Kingdom
Cooperation rather than competition
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Francis continues his push for a humbler, more open Church
The pope and the praying menace
What was the August meeting of cardinals really about?
Is Christian hospitality enough?
"What fraternity does assisted suicide build?"
Live, learn, forget, repeat
When timing is paramount
The pandemic, Christian faith and the perils of kids living in the digital world
"It’s been powerful to watch people enunciate a theology of care for creation"
Laudato si’ guides Indian archdiocese to help fisherfolk
Brazilian bishops stand up for the Yanomami people
The Gaia Man, James Lovelock
Pope calls for a new relationship with God, others and Creation
| Catholic Digest | UCAN | Living in faith | La Croix Africa | La Croix español
About Us | Contact Us| Newsletter Sign-up| Donate| Terms and Conditions| FAQ| La Croix| Confidentiality Policy| Sitemap