Is Cannabis / THC legal in Costa Rica?
- Legal status
- Recreational illegal; personal consumption prohibited but not penalized (no statutory quantity); medical cannabis legal (Law 10113, 2022)
- Consequences if caught
- Personal consumption is PROHIBITED BUT NOT PENALIZED — it is not formally decriminalized ('prohibited but no punishment'), and NO statutory personal-dose quantity exists. (Police informally treat roughly 1–8 g as personal — this is ENFORCEMENT PRACTICE, not a legal threshold.) Trafficking, cultivation and sale (Law 8204 Art 58) carry 8–15 years (up to 20). Recreational cannabis is illegal; medical cannabis is legal under Law 10113 (March 2022).
- If prescribed or medical
- Medical cannabis is legal under Law 10113 (2022) but dispensed by prescription through Costa Rican pharmacies ONLY — foreign prescriptions are invalid; recreational use is illegal.
- Documentation
- Medical cannabis is dispensed by prescription through Costa Rican pharmacies ONLY; foreign prescriptions are not valid. Confirm any controlled medicine with your embassy before travel.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Costa Rica’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →