MOROCCO struggles to go legal with hashish exports, despite authorities turning a blind eye over the years, reports Bloomberg News.
Many companies want to legalise and monetise it in the nation, an issue where they'll have to persuade locals who have been involved in the business for generations.
With the global boom in using the drug for medical rather than recreational purposes, the government pushed through legislation that allows an area to grow marijuana for pharmaceutical and industrial processing.
However, the first of many hurdles is to overcome opposition from the Rif farmers, who are suspicious of politicians and their motives.
'The drug baron is the cornerstone of the community,' said farmer Mohamed Bousemath.
'When the state was not shouldering its responsibility towards this region, the drug baron was taking care of us by buying the crop every year.'
Cannabis production and consumption have been illegal in Morocco since 1974, though the nation was the only Muslim nation to back the removal of the drug from the UN's list of dangerous substances two years ago.
Meanwhile, Rif has been a hotbed of unrest, with mass protests that started in October 2016 after the death of a fishmonger.
A report last year from King Mohammed VI's Economic, Social and Environment Council blamed the underground cannabis economy for stifling the region.
It recommended legalising the drug as part of a strategy that would eradicate the farming of cannabis for hashish.
The governing coalition wants to move with the times and come good on that.
It's identified a fertile region for development as it tries to raise money for health care and social welfare after the Covid crisis exposed the country's vulnerabilities.
The area involved is 500 square kilometers in three northern provinces. That's 70 per cent of the total coverage of cannabis crops across Morocco.
'What about the number of authorities involved in this legalization process?' said farmer Mohamed. 'It's too much intrusion. They want to control us.'
State head Mohamed El-Guerrouj declared the legalisation drive will boost a shrinking and meager share of cash farmers get from their cultivation and protect the environment.
'This is a lucrative market, so the farmer must get the bigger share of the profit and get rid of the middlemen,' said Mr El-Guerrouj.
'Like any economic system, there will be an ascending curve, we can't hit the ceiling immediately. It's going to come, little by little.'
SeaNews Turkey
Many companies want to legalise and monetise it in the nation, an issue where they'll have to persuade locals who have been involved in the business for generations.
With the global boom in using the drug for medical rather than recreational purposes, the government pushed through legislation that allows an area to grow marijuana for pharmaceutical and industrial processing.
However, the first of many hurdles is to overcome opposition from the Rif farmers, who are suspicious of politicians and their motives.
'The drug baron is the cornerstone of the community,' said farmer Mohamed Bousemath.
'When the state was not shouldering its responsibility towards this region, the drug baron was taking care of us by buying the crop every year.'
Cannabis production and consumption have been illegal in Morocco since 1974, though the nation was the only Muslim nation to back the removal of the drug from the UN's list of dangerous substances two years ago.
Meanwhile, Rif has been a hotbed of unrest, with mass protests that started in October 2016 after the death of a fishmonger.
A report last year from King Mohammed VI's Economic, Social and Environment Council blamed the underground cannabis economy for stifling the region.
It recommended legalising the drug as part of a strategy that would eradicate the farming of cannabis for hashish.
The governing coalition wants to move with the times and come good on that.
It's identified a fertile region for development as it tries to raise money for health care and social welfare after the Covid crisis exposed the country's vulnerabilities.
The area involved is 500 square kilometers in three northern provinces. That's 70 per cent of the total coverage of cannabis crops across Morocco.
'What about the number of authorities involved in this legalization process?' said farmer Mohamed. 'It's too much intrusion. They want to control us.'
State head Mohamed El-Guerrouj declared the legalisation drive will boost a shrinking and meager share of cash farmers get from their cultivation and protect the environment.
'This is a lucrative market, so the farmer must get the bigger share of the profit and get rid of the middlemen,' said Mr El-Guerrouj.
'Like any economic system, there will be an ascending curve, we can't hit the ceiling immediately. It's going to come, little by little.'
SeaNews Turkey