Is Ayahuasca Legal in Costa Rica?

The plants versus the compound, what the law penalizes, what the Ministry of Health says, and what it all means for you

Taking ayahuasca in Costa Rica is not a crime. Costa Rican law does not penalize the consumption of any substance, and neither the plants nor the traditional brew are listed as controlled substances. What the law controls is DMT as an isolated or synthesized compound, and what it punishes is trafficking. There is no law that regulates or licenses ceremonies, and the Ministry of Health does not recognize ayahuasca as a medical treatment. In short: you can participate in a ceremony here without committing an offense, and the responsibility for doing it safely rests with the center you choose.

This page explains the situation as we understand it as a center that has held ceremonies in Costa Rica for more than ten years. It is not legal advice. If you have a specific legal question, consult a lawyer in your country and in Costa Rica. Sources are listed at the end.

The plants versus the compound

Costa Rica regulates drugs through Law 8204, the Ley sobre Estupefacientes, Sustancias Psicotrópicas, Drogas de Uso No Autorizado, Actividades Conexas, Legitimación de Capitales y Financiamiento al Terrorismo. The law works from a list of controlled substances, and that list separates chemical compounds from the plants they occur in.

DMT, the main psychoactive compound in ayahuasca, is on the list as an isolated or synthesized substance. The plants are not. Neither the Banisteriopsis caapi vine nor the Psychotria viridis leaf appears on Costa Rica's list, nor on the international drug schedules, and neither does the traditional brew prepared from them. This is the same distinction the United Nations drug control board has drawn for years: the conventions control the compound, not the plants or the preparations made from them.

Consumption is not an offense

Costa Rican law does not criminalize consuming drugs, or possessing them for personal use. Law 8204 treats consumption as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice: article 79 directs the state to offer voluntary treatment to people who consume unauthorized drugs in public, and sets no penalty. That applies to every substance on the list. Ayahuasca is not on the list to begin with, so a visitor who drinks the brew in a ceremony is not committing an offense on either count.

What the law does penalize

Article 58 of Law 8204 punishes trafficking in controlled substances: distributing, selling, manufacturing, extracting, transporting or storing them without legal authorization, with prison sentences of 8 to 15 years. This is the part of the law that applies to DMT as a compound, and it is why isolating or synthesizing DMT, or carrying it across a border, is treated as a serious crime here and almost everywhere else.

Ceremonies are not addressed by any law. No agency licenses facilitators, inspects ceremony spaces or sets standards for screening. A center that has served ceremonies for a decade and a person who started last month have the same legal status. That puts the burden of choosing well entirely on you. The questions we think you should ask any retreat are the same ones we answer about ourselves.

What the Ministry of Health says

On 27 January 2025 the Costa Rican Ministry of Health issued a sanitary advisory on ayahuasca and ibogaine. It states that ayahuasca has no sanitary registration in Costa Rica, that products without registration have not been evaluated for safety, quality or efficacy, and it recommends that people not consume, use or promote ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes, and not take part in rituals that use psychoactive substances for therapeutic purposes.

Two things are worth reading carefully in that advisory. It does not declare ayahuasca, or ceremonies, illegal. And its concern is therapeutic claims: presenting ayahuasca as a treatment for medical or psychological conditions. We take that seriously. Our ceremonies are a traditional practice passed down through the facilitator's family and its links to the Bribri, Cabecar and Teribe peoples of Costa Rica. We are not a clinic, we do not diagnose or treat anything, and we do not present ayahuasca as medicine in the medical sense.

What none of this means

It does not mean you can take it home

DMT is a Schedule I substance in the United States and is controlled in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and most of Europe. Carrying ayahuasca across a border, even a small amount, even for personal use, can be prosecuted as trafficking in your destination country. No responsible retreat gives medicine to guests to take with them, and we do not.

It does not mean it is legal where you live

Your participation in a ceremony in Costa Rica is not an offense in Costa Rica. Some countries have specific religious exemptions for ayahuasca; most do not. Whether attending a retreat abroad could matter at home varies by country and is a question for a lawyer, not a retreat.

It does not mean every retreat is safe

Because the law sets no minimum, we set our own. Every guest completes a written health application before any booking is confirmed, must be at least 21, follows a seven-day preparation diet, and is never in a group of more than five. A facilitator stays sober and present for the entire ceremony, with San Isidro del General and its hospital as the closest town. None of this is required by Costa Rican law. All of it is described on our safety page.

Sources

Common questions

Is it legal to take ayahuasca in Costa Rica?
Taking ayahuasca in Costa Rica is not a crime. Costa Rican drug law (Law 8204) does not penalize the consumption or personal possession of any substance; it treats consumption as a public-health matter. On top of that, neither the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, nor the Psychotria viridis leaf, nor the traditional brew appears on the list of controlled substances. What the list covers is DMT as an isolated or synthesized compound.
Can I be arrested for drinking ayahuasca at a retreat in Costa Rica?
No. Consumption is not an offense under Costa Rican law, and the brew itself is not a controlled substance. Retreats advertise publicly, appear in international directories, and receive visitors from around the world. What is illegal in most countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, is carrying ayahuasca across a border.
What does Costa Rican law actually prohibit?
Law 8204 penalizes trafficking in controlled substances: distributing, selling, manufacturing, extracting, transporting or storing them without authorization, with sentences of 8 to 15 years. DMT as an isolated compound is on that list. The plants and the traditional brew are not.
What does the Costa Rican Ministry of Health say about ayahuasca?
In a sanitary advisory dated 27 January 2025 the Ministry of Health stated that ayahuasca has no sanitary registration in Costa Rica, that products without registration have not been evaluated for safety, quality or efficacy, and it recommended not consuming or promoting ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes. The advisory does not declare ayahuasca or ceremonies illegal. Our ceremonies are a traditional practice, not a medical treatment, and we make no therapeutic claims.
Can I bring ayahuasca home from Costa Rica?
No. DMT is a Schedule I substance in the United States and is controlled in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and most of Europe. Carrying ayahuasca across a border, even a small amount for personal use, can be prosecuted as trafficking in your destination country. Nothing leaves our center with a guest.
Does legal status mean every retreat is safe?
No. There is no agency that licenses facilitators or inspects ceremony spaces, so anyone can offer a ceremony. Legal status says nothing about whether a center screens participants, has experienced facilitators, or knows what to do in an emergency. Those are the questions to ask before you book.

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