NCJ Number
203984
Date Published
December 2003
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This executive summary presents the results of the first cannabis production survey in Morocco, launched in 2003.
Abstract
Morocco has become one of the leading suppliers of cannabis resin (hashish) to the European market. As such, it is imperative to take an accurate measure of the extent of cannabis cultivation in order to inform public policy and decisionmaking. Through a cooperative agreement between the Moroccan Government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the first ever survey on cannabis production in the Rif area of Northern Morocco was launched in July 2003. The survey area, the Rif area of Northern Morocco, produces most of the cannabis in the country and is characterized by a rugged relief, irregular rains, and poor soils prone to erosion. Findings from the survey indicate that the estimated cannabis cultivation in the Rif region is approximately 134,000 hectares, representing 10 percent of the total area and 27 percent of the agricultural land in the region. The production of raw cannabis is estimated at 47,000 metric tons, while the potential cannabis resin production is estimated at 3,080 metric tons. Furthermore, in the Rif region, 75 percent of the villages and 66 percent of the farms were producing cannabis during 2003, which represents roughly 2.5 percent of Morocco’s total population. Cannabis production raised a total revenue of approximately Dh 2 billion (U.S. $214 million) in 2003, representing 0.57 percent of Morocco’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These findings indicate that the amount of cannabis cultivation in Morocco during 2003 has increased over the past few years to the detriment of other agricultural activities. Moreover, a link can be established between Morocco’s cannabis production and the low level of socioeconomic development in the production region. Maps