Morocco’s road to legal cannabis: Paved with obstacles, opportunities

Legal cannabis in Morocco is opposed by both conservatives and organized crime
Morocco World News (Morocco)
Thursday, December 10, 2020

morocco cannabis5After Morocco’s historic “yes” vote on cannabis at the UN last Thursday, the path towards legal cannabis has widened. However, obstacles still exist. Morocco supported declassifying cannabis from Schedule 4, which contains the most dangerous drugs deemed to have no medical use. Morocco’s vote recognized the medicinal value of cannabis, a move that many saw as evidence Morocco could be on a path to legalization. In the midst of an economic crisis driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Morocco could see cannabis as a way to boost tax revenue and stimulate the hard-hit tourism sector. Producers in Morocco illegally export roughly $8.8 billion of the cash crop annually, according to BBC estimates.