Moroccan Lawmakers Revive Push for Cannabis Legalization, Citing Industrial and Medical Benefits

"The bill on the legalization of kif cultivation is not aimed at encouraging its transformation into hashish, but at using it for industrial and therapeutic purposes," said DW deputy Ibtissam Azzaoui. She highlighted the benefits of cannabis.

"Did you know that the best insulation materials in construction are extracted from the cannabis plant, which can also be used in medicine, in the manufacture of beauty products and in paper manufacturing? This is our goal with this bill," argues the elected official. She calls for action, including the legalization of cannabis cultivation in favor of "small farmers".

In 2019, the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma Regional Council had funded a new study on "the exploitation of the therapeutic and pharmacological properties of cannabis". Carried out in collaboration with the Scientific Institute of Rabat, attached to the Mohammed V University, this study revealed that cannabis could bring hundreds of millions of euros to the region.

A study published by the Prohibition Partners Institute in August of the same year shows that the production of Moroccan cannabis for recreational use could generate $916 million and that of cannabis for medical use $28 million by 2024.