Denver – Morocco is one step closer to a legal cannabis industry, after draft decree 2.21.642 was approved by the country’s lead executive body.
The Cabinet, consisting of top ministers within Morocco’s government, approved the new decree, in a huge step of progress toward cannabis legalization. The meeting, which was conducted via videoconference, was led by Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani.
The Cabinet approval of the draft decree complements legislation that the Moroccan parliament passed earlier this year. During the summer, Morocco issued law 13.21, reclassifying cannabis as a legal substance under Moroccan law.
Legislation was also recently passed that created the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis. According to government statements, the new agency will fall under the jurisdiction of Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior.
Additional provisions in the decree stipulate the composition of the new cannabis industry in Morocco. The decree calls, among other things, for the “inclusion of various institutions and bodies” related to the cannabis industry, saying that their needs should be taken into account in the implementation of the new legislation.
This means the new cannabis industry will involve members of Morocco’s financial and government institutions, in addition to the farmers that have historically grown the cannabis plant for centuries.
Cannabis has a long history in Moroccan society. With an illegal trade estimated to be worth at least $15 billion, legalization of the cannabis industry is projected to provide the government with a new source of tax revenue, in addition to weakening the influence of transnational drug smuggling operations working within the country.
So far, the new legislation only allows for Cannabis usage for medicinal or industrial purposes. This means that, for now, recreational consumption of the crop will still remain illegal in the country.
However, with Morocco’s worldwide reputation of producing some of the highest quality hashish products, it remains to be seen how long the government will be able to resist the call for full legalization.
