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Rabat – Morocco’s Government Council will resume its discussion of the bill about the “legal use of cannabis” on Thursday.
Initially, Morocco discussed the draft bill in the last two government council meetings, however, the bill was not passed.
Morocco discussed the intention to legalize cannabis on February 25. If approved, Morocco will be among the first in the African continent to permit the use of cannabis for medical and therapeutic purposes.
Nine activities will require an authorization from authorities to operate in the cannabis field including importation of seeds and plants, implementation of nurseries, and the marketing of cannabis and its byproducts.
The requirements for growers who wish to apply for permission are as such: Adult citizens of Morocco, plots of land must be located within the regulatory area, and applicants are members of a co-operative according to law 112-12, owners of the land must give written, documented permission for the use of land to cultivate cannabis.
Authorized farmers are asked to use only Agency-certified plants, to transfer all produce to the cooperation, , and to adhere to good production practices as set by the Agency.
The authorized processing company must commit to signing purchase contracts with licensed producers. The legal status is set to be ten years.
Licensed farmers’ cooperatives must enter into a contract with one or more licensed processors, and/or export companies to sell the crops received from the member farmers.
Companies who operate to commercialize, import, or export cannabis products should be legal via Moroccan private law and have technical, personal, and financial references.
The draft bill aims to regulate legal activities related to cannabis cultivation, production, manufacture, transport, and exchange activities with other countries.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the legalization will create various economic opportunities for Morocco to expand its market internationally.
Authorities have set a list of sanctions for the non-compliance by various operators.
For use in the medical sector, the maximum THC (THC produces a sense of ‘euphoria’) content of cannabis varieties should be regulated. Presently, in Europe this is 0.2%.
The maximum THC content of finished products (excluding medical) should be set by regulation (currently 0 to 2% in Europe).
The recreational use of the drug will remain illegal in Morocco.
The online community worldwide congratulated Morocco for this big step, calling out other countries to reconsider the illegal status of cannabis in their national law.
Many online users expressed their desire to visit Morocco, highlighting that Morocco’s progressive decision is likely to contribute to the country’s tourism sector. One commenter stated, “Woohoo. Another country I’m visiting when the world is a little less crazy.”
Morocco’s European neighbors are also hoping to benefit from the upcoming decision since the availability of traditionally-grown Moroccan medical cannabis is set to please many Europeans.
It remains to be seen whether the government will adopt the bill this week or postpone it to another meeting.
