Moroccan cannabis is the main supplier to the world market

According to the “World Drug 2021” report, issued annually by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Morocco and Afghanistan are among the top exporters of cannabis resin popular worldwide.

The UN body’s report, issued in several parts, noted that on the basis of global patterns of seizures and reports received by member states, Moroccan cannabis resin appears to be the main supplier to other markets in North Africa and Western and Central Europe.

The report added that for years, including during the period 2015-2019, Spain was identified as the main transit country for cannabis, followed by the Netherlands and France.

The report stated that more than a third of the global seized cannabis resin was intercepted in Western and Central Europe (34 per cent) in 2019, followed by Central, East, South and West Asia (33 per cent) and North Africa (30 per cent).
The same document indicated that these areas referred to accounted for nearly 97 percent of all cannabis resin seized worldwide in 2019, noting that the largest quantities of cannabis were seized mainly in Spain, followed by Morocco, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Despite the repercussions of the “Corona” virus and the closing of the borders, the report of the United Nations highlighted that this situation does not seem to have disrupted the movement of cannabis smuggling in the Middle East and North Africa, noting that most of it passes to Europe through northern Morocco towards Spain.

The report noted an increase in the quantities of cannabis seized by the Moroccan authorities in 2020 compared to 2019, as most quantities of cannabis resin were seized, according to the same source, in containers during their entry into the country’s main ports.

The report indicated that the quantities of cocaine seized in Africa quadrupled from 2018 to 2019, and increased eightfold in 2019, reaching nearly 13 tons; This is a record figure representing 0.9 percent of the world total. The largest quantities seized were in Morocco (1.5 tons); This highlights the role of the Moroccan authorities in the fight against this type of drug.

The development of cannabis will enable the project, according to the Ministry of Interior study, to reduce a range of risks related to drug smuggling and consumption, and those related to the health of citizens and the environment. Economically, the development of this production chain will enable Morocco to become an exporter of medical, pharmaceutical and industrial products instead of remaining an importer of them in hard currency.