Morocco Arrests Two for Public Cannabis Use During Ramadan Fast

Far from any activism, two young people would, according to the media Goud, have fallen under the blow of article 222 of the penal code, by having broken the fast in public. The same media specifies that they were arrested while smoking cannabis.

This happened in Driouch and they were arrested by the gendarmerie, then the public prosecutor decided that they would appear before the judge. Goud titles its article: "Violations of individual freedoms continue in Morocco... Two young people prosecuted in Driouch for breaking the fast in public".

However, several questions arise. One of them is: are they not rather (or also) prosecuted for drug use and possession? It should be noted, however, that in 2016 a person was already arrested in Rabat for smoking in broad daylight during Ramadan.

It should be noted that Article 222 punishes with one to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of 200 to 500 dirhams anyone "notoriously known for his belonging to the Muslim religion, who ostensibly breaks the fast in a public place during the time of Ramadan, without a reason admitted by this religion".