Are there medical cannabis clinics in Costa Rica?

Yes. Medical cannabis clinics operate legally in Costa Rica, and have done since Law 10113 came into force in 2022.

The confusion comes from a word. Costa Rica has no dispensaries — no shop you walk into and buy cannabis over the counter. That part is true, and it is what most search results will tell you. But a dispensary is not a clinic, and the absence of one says nothing about the other.

What a medical cannabis clinic actually is here

A medical cannabis clinic in Costa Rica is a medical practice. You are seen by a physician licensed by the Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos de Costa Rica, who reviews your diagnosis, your history and the treatments you have already tried. If cannabis-based treatment is appropriate, that physician issues a digital prescription. If it is not, they say so.

There is no card to buy, no membership, and no licence you apply for. The route is the same one any other prescription medication takes: a doctor, an assessment, a prescription, a pharmacy.

Where the medicine comes from

Your prescription is issued electronically during your consultation and filled at an approved pharmacy. At Cura Vida Cannabis Clinics that pharmacy is Farmacia Azul, our accredited partner in cannabis medicine. You choose counter collection or home delivery. Nothing is printed, carried or renewed in person.

Do you have to live in Costa Rica?

No. Consultations are delivered by secure video, so care reaches patients across all seven provinces — San José, Guanacaste, Limón, Puntarenas, Alajuela, Cartago and Heredia — as well as the Southern Zone. Costa Ricans, residents, expatriates and visitors are all seen the same way. If you are travelling here, you can complete your consultation from home before you arrive.

Who qualifies

Eligibility is a clinical decision, not an administrative one. You need a diagnosed condition recognised by the Ministry of Health, and conventional treatment that has not given you enough relief. Your physician confirms at the consultation whether treatment is appropriate for you.

How Cura Vida works

Cura Vida Cannabis Clinics is a virtual clinic. Our physicians are certified by MEDEC-CR, the first association of medical cannabis physicians in Costa Rica, and registered with the Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos. There is no waiting room, because there is no building to visit — the consultation happens wherever you are.

The first step is a free evaluation. It takes about three minutes and tells you whether you are likely to qualify, before any fee is involved.