In Tunisia, a joint is equivalent to a year in prison

Tunisia has a very repressive legal framework targeting cannabis users. Even the smallest joint or barrette of « Zatla » (the Tunisian name for hash) can land you in prison for at least a year.

One year in prison for a joint

Discontent is growing, and some members of the government are calling for the acquittal of consumers or even the decriminalization of use.

Every year, Law 52 sends thousands of cannabis users to prison. This law is merciless, mandating a minimum of one year in prison for the use or possession of cannabis. It is an ineffective law given Tunisia’s enormous rate of cannabis use. According to Jeune Afrique, out of Tunisia’s 11 million inhabitants, An estimated 3 million people use cannabis.

Originally, Law 52 was used under Ben Ali’s regime. It allowed the dictator to silence opponents and young protesters, such as the U.S. Prohibition had caused it at that level. This law specifies that judges may not reduce the sentence or find mitigating circumstances. One year of mandatory imprisonment, with no room for discussion.

Lofti Zitoun of the ruling Ennahda Party calls for a decriminalization of use «It is now our responsibility as leaders to simply decriminalize the use of substances that are currently illegal.» He continues: «Law 52 is ruining lives in our country because of relatively harmless youthful mistakes and forces those convicted to live with a criminal record that can lead to organized crime or even recruitment by terrorist groups.»

According to him, nearly one-third of Tunisia’s prison population uses Zatla. He is joined in this view by Faten Kallel, the Secretary of State for Youth. She says she is against prison sentences and proposes instead a system for imposing fines on consumers.

The writer Farhat Othman announces in Kapitalis that these statements are nothing but empty words and that the party currently in power is taking advantage of all the repressive laws from the Ben Ali era to silence young people

Attorney Ghazi Mrabet, who primarily represents consumers in Zatla, laments the consequences of this law: «Cannabis users, criminals, and terrorists are all lumped together in the same category.» A documentary directed by Spicee explains the situation in Tunisia in a video.