Puff, Puff, Past: Eradicating Moroccan Cannabis

Morocco, which has slashed cannabis cultivation by nearly half over the past four years, hopes to eradicate the main remaining area of cultivation in the northern Rif mountains by opening up the region and introducing substitute crops.

The eradication programme encourages farmers to switch to other crops, especially on fertile land where the growing of cannabis is a recent development, said Khalid Zerouali, a senior official at the Interior Ministry.

"In the ... [Rif mountain chain] we are centring our efforts on non-agricultural infrastructure and activities such as rural tourism," he said. "Opening these areas up plays an important role in reducing cannabis."

Production of cannabis resin, or hashish, which amounted to 3 070 tonnes in 2003, has already dropped by 61% in the area, according to Zerouali.