Morocco Considers Cannabis Reform to Boost Economy Amid Taboo

The newspaper reports that to the question, "Is there someone close to you, or do you know a friend or relative who smokes cannabis?", 65% of respondents answered in the negative, 32% said they know consumers and 3% do not know any cannabis consumers. The law relating to the repression, possession and consumption of cannabis and the fact that the practice is not accepted by society could justify this state of affairs.

Significant quantities of cannabis and cannabis resin are very often seized, networks dismantled and defendants brought to justice. This proves that a relentless fight is being waged by Morocco against the phenomenon, in a context of debate on the legalization or regulation of the possession and consumption of cannabis. The UN has noted that Morocco was the country that reported the largest seizure, namely 117 tons of resin and 283 tons of herb.

The United Nations (UN) has ranked the kingdom as one of the two largest producers of cannabis resin in the world, alongside Afghanistan, causing huge losses for the economy, according to L’Économiste. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) had reported the non-medical use of cannabis in Morocco in 2019, despite the fact that the US State Department indicates that the activity represents about 20% of GDP.

According to the Prohibition Partners institute report, in 2017, exports accounted for 80% of Morocco’s cannabis production, while the remaining 20% is for local consumption. Moreover, nearly 800,000 people would be employed in this illegal activity and 90,000 to 140,000 families live on the cultivation and marketing of cannabis in northern Morocco.

All of this could be used to boost the economy if the law on the legalization of cultivation or the regulation of possession and consumption of cannabis were to be passed. Because, raw cannabis costs no more than 8 euros, but once transformed into resin in Europe, it is sold between 3,000 and 17,000 euros. Morocco would benefit from thinking about projects, for a better exploitation of cannabis for activities other than the manufacture of hashish, for the medical and health field, underlines the survey.