As the clock hit 9:00 am we rushed to finish our coffee and head to the cannabis congress in Costa Rica (We missed the great Cristina Sanchez at the CannaCosta 2015, so this time we felt like we couldn't miss a detail). Expectations were high, as we finally got to introduce ourselves to many of the relevant characters from the cannabis industry that we had been getting to know virtually during the previous years: Jean Lotus, Mandi Kerr and Abraham Benavides. And we certainly were delighted to meet Lezli Engelking, Dr. Uma Dhanabalam, Dr. Paola Pineda, Andrew Bish, Carl Martel, Mikhail Kogan and Rusty Peterson for a quick chat and exchange of business cards.
Running into local activists was exciting. A picture at the entrance was a must, and after a quick visit to stage 2 and getting to speak to the people behind the stands of bags for flowers and straws infused with THC and CBD, we were told that the Minister of Agriculture was beginning his speech, so we mobilized to stage 1.
The big news that the Legislative Assembly did not yet know about Bill 21,388:
After a quick "freak out" with these surprise revelations, our attention returned to the next speaker: Geoff Whaling, presenting the work of the National Hemp Association, an entity that by the way endorses one of the drinks with hemp extract that we already have here in Costa Rica, and they have a Sanitary Registry:
We then recognized and excitedly made our way over to the Cali-based Green Broz stand, after spending time with them we headed over to the next conference, where Dr. Uma conquered us with her passion, which we fervently share ever since hemp found us to change our lives and we've dedicated ourselves to spreading it's importance ever since.
Our friend Maché, who always asks the necessary questions, managed to capture a special message for the Minister of Health. It was a call for Costa Rica to turn it's sights to a new path of well-being, and to do so hand in hand with and thanks to Cannabis:
Getting to speak with Jean Lotus a few weeks ago, at the weekly Hemp Building Clubhouse meeting, precisely about this event was wonderful, let alone meeting her in person. She arrived wearing a dress made of hemp and also shared a block sample of this construction material, which is very environmentally friendly and also provides protection from high temperatures.
An important fact that she mentioned: The machinery needed to process hemp and obtain the necessary materials to make these blocks costs around $3,000 in the US, we would of course have to add to that the import costs, but it's still far from the whopping sum of a million that is sometimes mentioned as a way to seemingly discourage (?) others.
When asked if there would be much difference between building a house with hemp and one with traditional concrete, she mentioned the costs to be considered by importing the material, it wasn't until later that we let her know that we can bypass that one circumstance, given that in Costa Rica we already have a hemp concrete factory (hempcrete) in Guanacaste. We were lucky and able to show her some of Zegreen Lab's projects and were thrilled to know that she liked them so much she felt, it was worth mentioning them in today's ClubHouse meeting, which we were able to arrive to just in time to expand a bit on the new projects in Nosara. Regarding the original question asked by an attendee, one of Zegreen Lab's architects, Simón, had told previously explained to us that it does not represent an abysmal difference in the building proceed, and that of course it is a choice that is well worth it.
Next up was Rusty Peterson, who went on to expand on the details of the preparations for this type of cultivation, and provided examples of the machinery. He highlighted that Costa Rica has all the potential to excel in this area.
Simultaneously, Dr. Mikhail Kogan was speaking about cannabis treatments in geriatric patients, in his practice he finds that it seems as though geriatric patients respond better to cannabis than younger patients. He also stated that "A third of the mortality rate by opioids in older adults can be reduced by providing legal cannabis".
This, we believe is worth noticing, is a subject that all doctors touch upon. The importance of the role cannabis has in helping the opioid and benzodiazepine addiction crisis.
The first day's congress agenda was closed by Dr. Paola Pineda, exposing cases of HIV also treated with Cannabis. She stressed upon the absurdity behind cannabis overdose concerns, when there have been zero cases in history, this is information that is easily found. Like Dr. Uma, she mentioned the Endocannabinoid System and emphasized the importance of terpenes in therapy, since much can be lost in the extraction of cannabinoids, these terpenes can be extracted from the same cannabis plant, or from others plants as well.
We will be expanding upon this and upcoming conferences as well!
Booth prices, for your consideration:
Jaguar: $55.000
Monkey: $25.000
Toucan: $18.500
Sloth: $4.400
Tree Frog: $2.800
See more sponsorship options!
Start your career or business in the hemp industry with professionals with 5 years of international experience and certifications endorsed by the University of Arizona:
Comments