Algerian Official Warns of High-Potency Moroccan Cannabis as Health Threat

"If in the 2010s we had Moroccan hashish with a THC percentage close to 1%, i.e. a low dose of active ingredient, in 2020 we had hashish with percentages of more than 20%," said Lieutenant Colonel Yacine Boumrah, deputy director in charge of toxicology at the National Institute of Forensics and Criminology (INCC) of the National Gendarmerie, in an interview with Chaîne 3 of the national radio.

"The health risk of the new Moroccan hashish is enormous," he said, noting that it was from 2010 that cannabis cultivation in Morocco underwent many transformations. "We have seen its industry transform with the massive introduction of hybrid, high-yielding varieties, which has increased production and increased the potency of hashish," the senior officer explained.

According to his explanations, hybrid hashish has high Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) [the active chemical compound in cannabis responsible for the psychoactive properties, editor’s note] levels compared to classic Moroccan hashish. As for his country, the finding is alarming. "The record in Algeria in active ingredient in modern hashish was reported in 2020 with a seizure of hashish with a THC percentage close to 50%, which is really huge," said the official, warning that modern hashish has a higher addictive power compared to classic hashish.

"Currently, more than half of the hashish seized nationwide concerns this dangerous hashish. [...] More than 1,000 tons of cannabis have been seized in 10 years," he specified.