Puerto Rico's Ley 42-2017, the Ley MEDICINAL, creates a medical-cannabis system and states that recreational use is prohibited.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Laws and local rules change. Read the official sources at the bottom of this page.
Cannabis-friendly lawyers in Puerto Rico
Listed October 2026
Starting a cannabis business
These lawyers help with licensing, forming a company, and compliance for a cannabis business in Puerto Rico.
Quiñones, Arbona & Candelario
San Juan
The firm's medical cannabis page says it prepares license applications and corporate structures for medical cannabis businesses in Puerto Rico.
Not a referral. This list is not an endorsement, and there is no paid placement. We have not verified bar standing or discipline history. Before you hire anyone, confirm them in the Bar association, and you can also use the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Puerto Rico.
Store map
- Medical dispensaries are on the map. A medical card is required. No adult-use stores in Puerto Rico yet.
Medical use and the recreational prohibition
- The statute's statement of purpose says the law reaffirms the prohibition of recreational use of cannabis and creates the legal framework for medicinal cannabis.
- Article 8 says people who meet the law's requirements and act within it are not subject to criminal penalties of the Government of Puerto Rico. A person who acts outside that framework answers under the applicable criminal laws.
- Article 9 prohibits consumption of cannabis by smoking. It says any person who uses cannabis for recreational purposes will be sanctioned under the Controlled Substances Act and any other applicable law.
- The same article says medicinal cannabis may not be used as a tool for recreational use and is limited to authorized medical use.
- The Department of Health patient portal says a person starts by visiting an authorized physician, who sends a medicinal-cannabis recommendation through the platform if one is made.