Costa Rica Approves Medical Cannabis Sales in Major Healthcare Shift

The Ministry of Health approved a new regulation that will facilitate the sale of medical cannabis products to help patients who urgently need them to treat their health conditions. The regulations establish registration, control, and labeling requirements, ensuring that drugs and natural products are differentiated and safe. According to the Ministry of Health, these products …

US Deports Hundreds of Asian Migrants to Panama Jungle Shelter

About a hundred migrants deported by the United States to Panama, mostly Asians, were placed this Wednesday in a shelter in the inhospitable Darién jungle, where they must wait until being repatriated. For several days, 299 migrants were in a hotel in the Panamanian capital, unable to leave despite the government’s claim that they were …

New Repatriation Measures: Costa Rica Prepares for U.S. Deportees Arrival

Costa Rica will receive a group of deported migrants from the United States, with Foreign Minister Arnoldo André outlining the government’s plan for their processing and repatriation. André stated that after landing, the group will be taken to the Center for Temporary Attention to Migrants (CATEM), where their biometric data will be recorded. Following this, …

Costa Rica’s President Vetoes Law Promoting Low-Cost Regional Flights

In a bold move Tuesday morning, President Rodrigo Chaves vetoed the proposed law aimed at boosting low-cost flights between Costa Rica and its Central American neighbors. The veto, issued via official letter PR-P-0001-2025 and addressed to Legislative Assembly President Rodrigo Arias, was signed by key ministers including Finance Minister Nogui Acosta, Public Works and Transport …

The Reality of Moving to Costa Rica: A Family’s 3-Month Cultural Experiment

File this one under Clueless Gringos. I read an article recently about a young couple living in the far northern US who adopted a young child of “Costa Rican heritage,” as they put it. The child’s birth mother was born in Costa Rica but was adopted as an infant and raised in the US. Twenty …

My Top 5 Dangers When Exploring the Costa Rican Jungle

The best part of my job consists of making my way through the forest, usually alone, often a few kilometers from the nearest person, and reviewing camera traps which have spent the previous weeks recording all the strange and wonderful creatures that live in Costa Rica. That experience is the main reason that I started …

Costa Rica Enhances Fiscal Transparency and Exits EU Blacklist

The European Union confirmed that Costa Rica has been removed from its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. The EU established this list in December 2017 as part of its broader strategy to promote good governance and fiscal transparency worldwide.The EU list is divided into two sub-lists—List I and List II. Initially, Costa Rica …

Panama Faces Humanitarian Challenge as US Deportees Seek Freedom

“We are not safe in our country,” reads a rudimentary handwritten sign in English shown this Tuesday by women at the window of a hotel in Panama City, where nearly 300 Asian migrants deported by the United States in recent days are being held. The migrants remain in the Decapolis hotel in the Panamanian capital …

Honduras President Castro Reverses Course on US Drug Trafficking Treaty

The leftist government of Honduras agreed with the Trump administration to maintain the drug trafficker extradition treaty, ten days before the country was set to execute its threat to withdraw due to alleged plans of a “plot” against it orchestrated by Washington. President Xiomara Castro announced on her X account that she reached an “agreement …

Costa Rica Partners with U.S. to Repatriate Undocumented Immigrants

Costa Rica announced that it will collaborate with the United States to repatriate 200 undocumented immigrants to their home countries, joining Panama and Guatemala in a regional effort. According to a statement from the Costa Rican president’s office, the migrants—originating from Central Asian countries and India—are arriving after being deported from the U.S. As the …