Morocco government backs legalising cannabis for medical use

Cannabis plants are pictured in a field near the town of Ketama in Moroccos northern Rif region on September 2, 2019. The government of Morocco, the worlds top producer of hashish, ratified Thursday a draft law to legalise the medical use of cannabis but upheld a ban on its recreational use. The move would reconvert illicit cannabis plantations into legal and durable activities that generate jobs, according to the text of the draft legislation. Moroccos production of cannabis was estimated at more than 700 tonnes in a 2020 study by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. Legalising cannabis for medical use will position Morocco in a global market that is growing at an annual rate of 30 percent, and by 60 percent a year in Europe, according Moroccos interior ministry.