Morocco has consolidated its position as the world’s leading producer and exporter of cannabis, claims a report on drugs released on Friday March 3 by the US State Department.

According to the report’s claims, cannabis production holds an enormous significance for the Moroccan economy. The US State Department says that Morocco produced around 700 tons of cannabis between 2015 and 2016, a record volume that confirms the high level of drug use in the country’s economy.

“Potentially, this is equivalent to about 23 percent of Moroccan GDP, estimated at USD 100 billion, after its transformation into hashish,” the State Department claims in the report.

The report, however, provides no details on the amount of money amassed by foreign drug traffickers. Nor does it provide details on which official statistics it based its claims.

Claiming that drug represents 23 percent of Morocco’s GDP would mean that Morocco earned $ 23 billion in 2016, which is about over seven times as much as the revenues phosphates generated in the same year.

In addition to cannabis, Morocco has become, in a few years, a hub for trade in other types of drugs of foreign provenance.

A Storm of White Powder

The number of seizures of cocaine in the Kingdom present another worrying phenomenon, according to US authorities. For several years now, South American traffickers have been investing in the African continent to bring the stimulant up to Europe. “Mules” from West Africa, who carry drugs in their luggage or their stomach, are regularly stopped at Casablanca International Airport.

At the end of 2016, Moroccan police forces carried out the two biggest seizures in their history: 250 kg were found in a cocaine processing laboratory in Oujda, where two Peruvians were arrested, and 1,230 kg of powder, an estimated market value of more than 100 million euros, was discovered on board a ship in Dakhla. Faced with the pressing issue of trafficking, the first office on the African continent of the American anti-drug agency (DEA) opened in Rabat in February 2017.

The Frenzy of the “Karkoubi”

Even if hashish is the drug of choice of Moroccans, another type of drug also seems to be quite popular: “Karkoubi”, which refers to several psychotropic drugs belonging to the class of benzodiazepines. Normally prescribed for psychiatric disorders, these drugs are diverted for recreational purposes.

“Karkoubi” regularly features in the Moroccan media, where it is associated with violent crimes. The drug removes inhibitions, especially when combined with other products such as alcohol or cannabis. According to the authorities, it is mainly exported from Algeria.

Addicted Prisoners

19,000 prisoners, around 25 percent of the prison population, have been convicted of drug offenses. Faced with this rise in the drug market, the Moroccan authorities have decided to react by passing a new law authorizing the organization of undercover operations and other previously non permissible techniques to combat drug trafficking. The new law is expected to come into effect in the spring of 2017.

However, the US State Department says that these efforts seem to be limited by existing rivalries between several state anti-drug agencies.

Source :Morocco World News