Morocco Considers Cannabis Legalization as Experts Push for Reform

The experts and researchers who participated in this workshop agree that the repression of cannabis growers has proven unproductive. They studied the possibility of better exploiting the therapeutic and recreational virtues of the plant, reports TelQuel. "Faced with this problem, everything has been tried and nothing has worked. We cannot go against the tide. We must now make a choice," says Camelia Benaskour, a business strategy consultant.

The production of cannabis in the regions of Al-Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Ouazzane supports about 90,000 households, or more than 700,000 people, according to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior. According to Mohamed Alifriqui, professor-researcher in plant and forest ecology at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia (Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech), this production remains archaic and controlled by drug cartels.

The academic explains that the cultivators in the region receive synthetic cannabis seeds containing a high level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, from the criminal networks. With these new seeds, the yield is higher than the traditional beldia cannabis. But these seeds "have significant repercussions on deforestation and water consumption," warns El Kacimi Kamal, agricultural engineer and coordinator of a community agricultural development program. Moreover, it is these criminal networks that derive huge profits from the traffic to the detriment of the population of the region.

The prohibition of cannabis cultivation dates back to December 22, 1932. At that time, the French protectorate had made this decision through a dahir. Except that today, the legalization of the product is more than necessary. According to Prohibition Partners, a think tank on cannabis decriminalization, this product could bring Morocco $944 million in the first year of its legalization. "The state must control the production and marketing of cannabis," proposes Camelia Benaskour. The business strategy consultant also suggests the creation of a free zone for the sale and consumption of cannabis, a "mini-Amsterdam," which could attract cannabis tourism.