In an article for Foreign Policy, James Roslington -- a Cambridge specialist on Morocco -- and I analyze the debate on the legalization of cannabis in Morocco. We look at how the timing of the debate on cannabis is a result of wider trends as the Moroccan state attempts to navigate its way through growing unrest and the global economic crisis in the post-Arab Spring era. To read the whole article click here.
Morocco regularly vies with Afghanistan for the title of the world's biggest producer of cannabis -- its output was recently estimated at nearly 40,000 tons annually -- yet open debate on the role of the plant in the country's economy remains infrequent. In recent years, despite improvements in production, both small farmers and big producers have seen their cannabis-related income plummet.The Moroccan government has recognized that whack-a-mole policing, by itself, can no longer deal with popular discontent. As part of the Moroccan strategy to insulate itself from the unrest plaguing its neighbors, the state appears to have switched tack -- now preferring to employ carrots as well as sticks to tighten its political grip over the restive north. To buttress these efforts, the supreme political authority in Morocco is clearly exploring the possibility of legislation to legalize cannabis. Legalization would boost tax revenue and prop up the economy of the region.