Morocco, the world’s largest producer of hashish, has ratified a draft law to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis, while maintaining the ban for recreational use. However, the draft will still head to parliament for approval of the final legislation.
According to the AFP news agency, the draft law calls for the creation of a national agency to regulate the industry, as well as the establishment of cooperatives to grow the “certified” cannabis plant.
One of the Moroccan government’s goals with this law is to convert illicit plantations into “activities that are legal and generate jobs.”
According to a UN report on Drugs and Crime, in 2020 Morocco was the world’s largest producer of cannabis resin (hashish). And according to a study by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the country produced more than 700 tons of cannabis in the same year.
In 2019, according to data from the Moroccan authorities, 55,000 hectares in the northern Rif region were being used to grow this plant illegally, an increase from the 2018 data (45,000).
With the legalization for medicinal use of this plant, Morocco could enter a growing market in the world, namely in Europe.
In Europe, several countries have legislation similar to what Morocco’s government is trying to pass. Several member states have legalized some form of cannabis for medicinal use, such as Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, and even Portugal.
