Over 2.5K ha of cannabis-cultivated areas destroyed north

    15 people among growers of the banned substance were arrested during this operation which required $ 250,000. Others are wanted.

    The operation was preceded by a large awareness-raising campaign as to the dangers of this cultivation.

    The kingdom has put the fight against drug cultivation and production among its national priorities, which resulted in a 10% drop of cannabis-cultivated areas in 2004 (from 134,000 hectares in 2003 to 120,500 hectares in 2004). Concurrently, it launches income-generating socio-economic projects of alternative farming activities, as some 96,600 families live on the cannabis cultivation in the country.

   The Moroccan government also upped its legal arsenal to fight drug, including prison terms that could reach 30 years and fines amounting to up to $ 30,000.

   As a result of these efforts, the American State Department “Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs”, commended, in its report on strategies to control drugs worldwide, the results achieved by Morocco in fighting drugs through campaigns to eradicate cannabis growing, and cooperation with the UN office on Drug and Crime (UNODC).

MAP