While on December 3, 2020 the United Nations recognized the therapeutic usefulness of cannabis, the debate is more intense in Morocco where this culture remains illegal. But many voices are being raised for the kingdom to take inspiration from Israel and allow it for therapeutic purposes.
The cultivation of the cannabis leaf has been shaping the landscapes of northern Morocco for decades. It supports entire families and is passed on from generation to generation. Al Ahdath Al Maghribia newspaper even assures us that this is the only crop really adapted to the soil of these regions. Yet, at one of the world’s leading producers, kif remains completely illegal. Its sale, purchase and consumption are punishable by prison.
However, while on December 3, 2020, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs recognized cannabis as having therapeutic virtues, the debate is more intense in the kingdom.
Cannabis crops extend over 50,000 hectares and Morocco benefits from “ancestral know-how”. When it comes to cannabis, the independent magazine TelQuel suggests that the government “take inspiration from the Israeli model”. Israel has in fact authorized cannabis for therapeutic purposes since 2006.
A lot to gain
Because the cannabis business, if it became legal, would pay off big. The weekly estimates the gains at 100 billion dirhams (or nearly 10 billion euros). In recent years, the idea has gained ground in Morocco, but the country has never taken the plunge. “Still insufficient trial and error, while the global market is booming”, underlines TelQuel.
In Israel, cannabis exploitation earns 1 billion shekels (over 2.5 million euros), 60,000 Israelis benefit from cannabis treatments and some 150 companies operate in the field. A manna to which some Moroccans aspire. Between 90,000 and 140,000 families are already living off kif, according to Prohibition Partners, cited by TelQuel.
