The debate around “legalization” in Costa Rica has predominately centered around exactly the type of legalization that just occurred in Uruguay, not the US context of “decriminalization” for possession or medical marijuana in California.

The context in Costa Rica has centered around “legalization” meaning the legalized production, trafficking, sale, and possession of marijuana freely; which mostly started as a discussion that began in the last year centered around reducing crime by giving drug traffickers one less illegal product to traffic.

So in the context of most of the debate in Costa Rica (not internationally) the headline is accurate. What most Costa Ricans consider to be “legalization” if asked might be different than those in the US or other countries. Hope this helps, and thanks for reading ICR.

As to the “clinical setting”, it isn’t very difficult to obtain a prescription in CR and up until recently many prescription drugs(as determined by the US at least) were doled out by pharmacists.

And to add fuel to the fire, every time I have visited(quite a few over the last decade), I rarely enter a group of people near the beach communities or nightclubs without smelling it. I cannot help but wonder how broad the survey was in it’s application and about the specific questions asked.

I understand the knee jerk reaction is to ban things that are perceived as bad for us, but prohibition has never accomplished its goals of reducing problems. We have many instances in both history and various cultures to prove it.

If 52.9% said they would support medical use of the drug, they are supporting legalization. Prescription drugs are “legal”.

You might have tried, “A majority of Costa Rican’s support marijuana legalization for medical use.”

Secondly, 50% see no benefit to legalization, yet if they were asked, they could concurrently see no benefit to it’s being illegal. Maybe they simply don’t care? Or more likely, the survey makers didn’t want to know the answer to that particular question.

Perhaps the author should consider effectuating journalism without so much obvious bias?

For those so inclined to investigate the issue further with factual evidence, study Portugal. They decriminalized drugs over 10 years ago. Violent crime from the black market was dramatically reduced. Addiction rates are now less than half since users no longer fear arrest for simply seeking help. Decriminalization didn’t make Portugal the drug capital of the EU, it has become the opposite.

~Stephen King

~Jay Leno