Central America
Business briefing
Current business and company-related news on the CBD industry
Regulatory briefing
Current legal and regulatory news covering the CBD industry
Regulatory reports
Comprehensive legal reports outlining how the sector is regulated, interpretation of the laws and relevant bodies
Regulatory trackers
Regularly updated global regulations currently in place, compiled into easy-to-read maps and tables
NEW FORMAT
From February of 2022, subscribers will be able to view and filter individual regulatory alerts per region. If you want to get our alerts compilations, visit our alerts Round-up section.
Alerts
Our legal experts track the evolving regulation around the CBD and cannabis sector on a daily basis. These alerts are then compiled into our Round-up section.
26th May 2022
Costa Rica: An amendment to the hemp and medicinal cannabis law, eliminating the need for a licence for cultivation, production and sale, has come into force, leaving only the need for authorisation as for any other agricultural crop. The country is still awaiting further cannabis regulations after former president Carlos Alvarado admitted they would not be ready as intended before the end of his term in office, which expired on 8th May.
29th April 2022
- Costa Rica: The National Assembly passed a bill to amend the recently approved hemp and medicinal cannabis law. It simplifies the authorisation process for cultivation, production and sale by only requiring an authorisation as opposed to a licence as well. The bill has to now be signed by the president.
12th April 2022
Honduras: Vice-president Salvador Nasralla has backed the legalisation of medical cannabis, press reports. He suggested in a video that legalisation would generate jobs, giving the example of Costa Rica’s recent approval of medicinal cannabis. Honduras currently forbids the cultivation, sale and consumption of cannabis for any purpose.
7th April 2022
Costa Rica: Following the legalisation of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp in March, president Carlos Alvarado has reiterated his commitment to ensuring smooth passage for the cannabis law before he leaves office on 30th April.
21st March 2022
Belize: The Senate has debated the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, media reports. The government introduced the bill last year with the aim of legalising the cultivation and consumption of recreational cannabis. However, it later decided to split the bill in two, introducing the Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Control and Licensing Bill. The Senate has now amended and approved the first bill but has not decided yet on the hemp control and licensing bill.
17th March 2022
- Costa Rica: Deputies presented a bill to amend the recently approved hemp and medicinal cannabis bill. The amendment tackles the same topic that was previously vetoed by president Carlos Alvarado: it eliminates the licence needed for cultivation, production and sale, and adds only the need for authorisation. The bill has now to be approved in two debates.
3rd March 2022
- Costa Rica: President Carlos Alvarado signed the bill regul
ating the cultivation and sale of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp. This follows the Legislative Assembly’s approval of the bill’s partial veto to delete articles referring to self-cultivation and licence-free cultivation. The executive branch is committed to having the law’s administrative regulations ready before the end of the president’s administration on 30th April 2022. 2nd March 2022
- Costa Rica: In a second and final debate yesterday, the Legislative Assembly approved president Ca
rlos Alvarado’s partial veto of the bill regulating the cultivation and sale of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp. The veto proposed deleting two articles that refer to self-cultivation, and changing another on licence-free cultivation. The bill is now awaiting the president’s signature, which is expected to happen as early as this week. 25th February 2022
- Costa Rica: In a first debate yesterday, the Chamber of Deputies approved president Carlos Alvarado’s partial veto of the bill regulating the cultivation and sale of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp. The veto, which, as we previously reported, was accepted by the Environment Legislative Committee last week, proposed deleting two articles that refer to self-cultivation and changing one on licence-free cultivation. The bill will now move on to a second and final debate.
21st February 2022
Belize: Prime minister John Briceño has given his approval to the introduction of revised legislation to amend the Misuse of Drugs Bill under the title of the Cannabis Control and Licensing Bill 2022. The new bill provides for the control and licensing of the cannabis industry and the establishment of the necessary legislative framework to regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution and delivery of cannabis products for adult use for medicinal and recreational purposes. The bill will be tabled at the next sitting of the House of Representatives, media reports.
17th February 2022
Costa Rica: The Environment Legislative Committee has accepted president Carlos Alvarado’s partial veto of the bill regulating the cultivation and sale of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp, press reports. Alvarado proposed deleting two articles that refer to self-cultivation and to change one on licence-free cultivation. The committee has a month to send the report to the full Legislative Assembly, where it must be accepted in two debates.
