Morocco: Legalization project moves forward with amnesty for growers

The 400,000 Moroccans who make their living from the cultivation of «kif» will be granted amnesty by the kingdom's government, according to a report on the website Maghreb Intelligence. «Tens of thousands of cannabis farmers in northern Morocco will benefit from a general amnesty and will no longer face prosecution.», the news site reveals, citing reliable sources.

This marks a new step in Bill No. 13.21, «on the legal use of cannabis.» Introduced earlier this year, the bill proposes to’authorize the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes and industrial. It focuses primarily on the northern regions of Morocco. In the Rif Mountains, the kif Originally derived from Beldia cannabis plants, it is a time-honored tradition, dating back to the 15th century.

The government wants to move quickly to legalize it. Morocco’s 395 members of parliament had until Tuesday to submit their amendments to the bill. prepared by the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit. But the need for speed is hampered by political maneuvering. Indeed, Laftit is a politician from the Rif region. An independent with no party affiliation, he is a well-known opponent of the Justice and Development Party (Islamist, conservative), which is in power in Rabat, the Moroccan capital. And that party is firmly opposed to the legalization of cannabis.

Elections in September 2021

Bill No. 13-21 must now be brought before the members of the House of Representatives in a plenary session. And it won’t be a smooth ride. Indeed, the PJD relies on a bloc of 125 members of the House of Representatives, with a majority set at 198 votes. And several senior officials from this party threaten to leave the party if the House votes to legalize cannabis.

Another challenge: the upcoming elections. Morocco’s 36 million citizens are set to go to the polls in September. And for many politicians, the proposal to legalize cannabis is no coincidence. Especially since the Rif—which has a predominantly Berber population—is a region that has historically hostile to the central government. It was even briefly independent from Morocco in the 1920s. Members of the Interior Committee are therefore criticizing Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, blaming him for this timeline. The legalization of cannabis «has nothing to do with the elections”, but rather with “Service to the Country», ", Laftit argues.

Elections or not, cannabis farmers in the Rif are eager to get back to work on the kif in full compliance with the law. They have even just created a «Coordination of Cannabis-Producing Regions,» an association that defends their interests. What is the association asking for? First, «a review of criminal records,» we learns about daily life Al Ahdath Al Maghribia. On this point, the government has listened to them.