Legal context
The Americas include some of the world’s most advanced cannabis reforms alongside countries that still rely heavily on criminalisation and incarceration.
Health response (HRI 2024)
Harm Reduction International (2024) did not identify any operational needle & syringe programme, opioid agonist therapy, drug consumption room or naloxone service in Costa Rica. National policy documents do include a supportive reference to harm reduction.
Youth leadership
Youth movements often connect drug policy to racial justice, indigenous rights, public health, safer nightlife and overdose prevention.
This country page gives a plain-language starting point for understanding drug policy in Costa Rica. Harm reduction data is drawn from Harm Reduction International's Global State of Harm Reduction 2024 where available; detailed national law should always be checked against current local sources.
Drug policy briefing
What young people should know about drug policy in Costa Rica
Decriminalisation
Mixed reform landscapeCannabis reform, threshold models and diversion schemes exist in parts of the region, but criminal penalties for many substances remain common.
Evidence · Regional baseline: OAS/CICAD, national laws and civil-society monitoring.
Harm Reduction
Minimal or no services reportedHarm Reduction International (2024) did not identify any operational needle & syringe programme, opioid agonist therapy, drug consumption room or naloxone service in Costa Rica. National policy documents do include a supportive reference to harm reduction.
Evidence · Harm Reduction International, Global State of Harm Reduction 2024 (Table 1), hri.global.
Youth Participation
Visible advocacyStudents and young organisers are often central to cannabis, sentencing, safer supply, overdose prevention and human-rights campaigns.
Evidence · Regional baseline: SSDP and partner advocacy records.
Treatment Systems
Public + private mixTreatment systems commonly mix public clinics, insurance-funded care, NGOs and private providers, with affordability and rights protections varying by country.
Evidence · Regional baseline: WHO and national health system profiles.
Sources · Harm Reduction International, Global State of Harm Reduction 2024 · UNODC · WHO · EMCDDA/EUDA · national laws and civil-society monitoring. Last reviewed Harm Reduction International 2024.
Start locally
No active SSDP chapter is listed for Costa Rica yet. Young people can start with peer education, coalition-building and the chapter starter pathway.
Open pathwayCompare policy
Use Policy Lab to compare Costa Rica with countries that have decriminalisation, harm reduction or youth-participation reforms.
Open pathwayFind support
If someone needs urgent medical, legal or crisis support, use the help pathway and contact qualified local services.
Open pathway