Morocco – an African nation with a population of over 32 million – may legalize cannabis within the next few years.

According to Bloomberg, lawmakers in Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane’s Islamist Justice and Development Party, as well as lawmakers in the opposition Authenticity and Modernity Party, are considering draft cannabis legalization legislation proposed by the Moroccan Network for the Industrial and Medicinal use of Marijuana.

According to Mohamed Boudra, Governor of Hoceima-Taounate who’s a member of Authenticity and Modernity Party, his party is seeking to enact the bill within three years.

“We have to ensure that any legalization is done in an optimal fashion,” stated lawmaker Abdelahim Allaoui; “We need to establish what the medicinal virtues of the plant are, and then think of exports, pharmaceutical industry developments, and how to draw foreign investment. This is a promising sector for the economy.”

According to the Moroccan Network for the Industrial and Medicinal use of Marijuana, which is a local charity, over 800,000 Morocco citizens already make a living off of selling cannabis. This new legislation would allow these individuals to sell cannabis legitimately, rather than being forced to sell it on the black-market.

– TheJointBlog