Morocco’s Cannabis Legalization Bill Divides Ruling Party, Sparks National Debate

The draft law on the legal use of cannabis has sparked a passionate political and social debate that is already jeopardizing the unity of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), of which the head of government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, is a member.

The former head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, threatened to leave the PJD if "a single MP voted in favor of this law". This statement further fractures the party whose leaders are struggling to be convinced of the advantages and disadvantages of this law. Meanwhile, parties like Istiqlal or the PAM, in favor of the text, are organizing forums and conferences on the medical, cosmetic and industrial use of cannabis.

In the Rif region, where nearly 80% of the hashish consumed in Europe comes from, the legalization of cannabis is not unanimous either. Some recognize that this law will bring this activity out of the informal sector and allow nearly three hundred thousand peasants, and especially peasant women, to be declared to the Social Security system. Others believe that the measure is just aimed at "conforming to what is already being done elsewhere, or at best, to help put an end to mafias and corruption".

Since February 2019, Turkey has legalized the cultivation of cannabis for the pharmaceutical industry and authorized the use of the fiber of this plant for the manufacture of bags, paper and even surfboards. For Turkish President Racep Tayyip Erdogan, an Islamist like Benkirane, cannabis is "our green treasure". In Morocco, on the other hand, the draft law only provides for the "industrial or medical use" of cannabis and remains silent on recreational use.