.png)
Morocco legalizes weed: What you need to know
On March 11, 2021, Morocco passed a bill making Cannabis use for therapeutic and medical use legal. By passing this bill, Morocco becomes one of the few countries in Africa to adopt this very progressive measure.
Statistics have shown that this new vision will generate more than $15 billion and thousands of job opportunities as well as a framework to monitor weed production and consumption in Morocco.
However, the bill triggered a state of contention among members of the current ruling party - PJD in French, or JDP in English (Justice and Development Party), also known as, the Islamic party. On the same day, Former Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane has announced his decision to leave the party and to cut ties with many of the party's members including the current Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Otmani.
Allegedly, during his election campaign back in 2011, Benkirane showed interest in endorsing weed legalization nationally. This sparked a furious public backlash. Some call it "straight-up political hypocrisy"!