Morocco on the road to cannabis legalization

The council of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, in northern Morocco, has approved early July conducting a study on the potential for growing cannabis in the region.

The report will be commissioned by the Scientific Institute of Mohammed V University in Rabat, at a cost of approximately one million dirhams (€90,000). The Ministry of the Interior has yet to give its approval before the study can begin; the study will focus in particular on the therapeutic and pharmacological properties of cannabis.

According to estimates by Prohibition Partners, Morocco could generate 9 billion euros in revenue from cannabis cultivation if the sector were legalized and regulated. Morocco is, of course, not the only country on the African continent interested in cannabis: the Lesotho began producing medical cannabis, just like the Zimbabwe. And South Africa is in the process of legalizing cannabis for adults.

80% on Cannabis Production in Morocco is currently intended for export according to 2017 figures. The remaining 20% is reserved for local consumption. Between 90,000 and 140,000 families in northern Morocco make their living from the cultivation and sale of cannabis. The industry is estimated to employ approximately 800,000 people and would account for 23% of Morocco's GDP.

Hemp, of course, has other uses that are also of interest to Morocco: in construction, particularly insulation; in cosmetics; in the production of oils and bedding; as a fuel; in paper manufacturing; for human and animal feed; in biofuels; and as composite materials combined with plastics.

In 2015, elected officials from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), an opposition party, had introduced a bill to legalize cannabis for industrial and medical use. The bill was never placed on the Parliament's agenda.