Is hashish legal?

Morocco is one of the world's largest producers of cannabis resin, almost all of it grown in the Rif mountains — Ketama, Bab Berred, Issaguen. Estimates put 60,000 to 80,000 families in production. In 2021 the kingdom legalised cultivation in Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen, and Taounate provinces for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes only. Recreational use, possession, and sale remain criminal offences under the 1974 dahir, punishable by three months to five years.

Enforcement is selective. Locals smoke openly in cafés in Chefchaouen and the Rif; tourists who buy from a stranger on the street are the demographic the police occasionally make examples of. The usual script: someone offers, leads the buyer to a quiet alley, the police arrive within minutes. The fine and the way out is negotiated in cash. Border police on the Spain-Morocco crossing search returning travellers and dogs work the ferry queues at Tangier-Med.

If detained, ask immediately for your consulate. Do not sign anything in Arabic that you cannot read.