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As Morocco’s 2021 round of elections approaches, the cannabis question is once again on the table. The Moroccan government approved the bill to legalize medicinal cannabis for export on March 11 of this year, becoming the 2nd MENA country to do so after Lebanon in 2020.
Proponents of the bill argue that the legalization of cannabis is intended for the promotion of its medical use and that the lucrative revenues will boost the Moroccan economy.
In December 2020, the UN Commission on Narcotic drugs removed cannabis resin from the list of “most dangerous drugs.” Morocco was among the countries that voted for the proposition.
Morocco has a long history of cultivating cannabis, with most of the cultivation concentrated in the northern part of the kingdom.
Although the practice has been illegal since the country’s independence in 1956, it has mainly been tolerated, and its estimated value is $ 8 billion. This has prompted the government to establish a legal framework to protect both consumers and producers.
The bill was introduced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, who said it would positively impact the underdeveloped regions of northern Morocco and improve economic prospects for the Riffian population.
Amid the run-up to the 2021 elections, the question of the legalization of cannabis legalization has grown more divisive among political parties and is being weaponized to glean votes.
Some experts suggest that the promise to legalize cannabis can convince voters to cast their ballot. Some claim that the Justice and Development Party (PJD), Morocco’s ruling Islamist party, is purposefully trying to push the vote until after the election set to take place in September 2021.
The PJD is basing its case against the legalization of cannabis on religious and cultural grounds, claiming that consumption of cannabis is un-Moroccan and un-Islamic. But some members of the party have approved the bill. Saad El Ohmani, the current head of government, has expressed his support for the legislation.
However, Abdellah Benkirane, the PJD’s former head, suspended his membership of the party and cut ties with Saad Eddine El Othmani in March 2021 due to the adoption of the cannabis-legalization law by the Moroccan Government Council.
According to a United Nations Office for Drugs’ Control (UNODC) report, Morocco was the world’s largest producer of cannabis resin in 2017.
Additionally, a report by Prohibition Partners estimates that the market value of cannabis in Africa is expected to reach $7.1 billion in 2023, with $1 billion for Morocco alone.
These statistics and the economic benefits Morocco may reap from legalizing the substance are strong incentives for the government to legalize it.
Morocco is stepping up to create a regulatory framework for the exploitation of “medicinal cannabis,” which will likely bring the kingdom more economic opportunities. That, however, is dependent on what the commercial market in Europe is going to look like.
Driss Benhima, a former chairman of the Development Agency of Northern Morocco who has done extensive research on cannabis, said that Morocco would benefit substantially from the legislation if Europe integrated Moroccan cannabis into its market.
