Historians agree to establish the existence of cannabis cultivation in the region of Ketama in the central Rif, in the fifteenth century. These cultures date back to the arrival of Arab immigrants in the region, from the seventh century.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the French traveler who visited Moulieras the region, reported that cannabis was produced, albeit at a reduced level, in the tribe of Beni Khaled. Sultan Moulay Hassan (1873 - 1894) had given permission to grow cannabis for five Douars Ketama and Beni Khaled Senhaja in the country. Cannabis northern Morocco was produced for home consumption, although a part of the production was also intended for sale in other regions of the country. In the twentieth century, from 1912, the kingdom was split into two zones, one under French administration, the other under Spanish rule. Under the Spanish protectorate in northern countries, Spain allowed some tribes to continue cultivating cannabis.
During the five years that Abdelkrim maintained in the Rif an independent state (1921-1926), production of cannabis decreased significantly under the influence of the Berber leader who believed that cannabis use was contrary to the precepts of the Koran. After the defeat of the rebel leader, the Spanish authorities were willing to placate the tribes of the interior of Al Hoceima, the cultivation of cannabis around the initial core of Ketama.
In 1906, the Algeciras Conference was granted a monopoly of purchases and sales of tobacco and cannabis in the country at the board Moroccan KIFS and Tobacco, a multinational company with French capital. This company was based in Tangier, where were processed cannabis and tobacco, kif (a mixture of tobacco and cannabis) also being manufactured in a factory in Casablanca. These preparations were intended to be consumed traditionally in the domestic market. In 1926, the French decided to allow the cultivation of cannabis in an area north of Fez. This experiment, which lasted only three years, was part of the policy of General Lyautey to isolate the revolutionary Abdelkrim experience. She sought indeed to settle the tribes, neighboring regions in rebellion, had recently accepted the submission to the French administration.
The board controlled the land allocated to the cultivation of tobacco and cannabis by signing contracts with farmers. These contracts guaranteed prices, properties, processing methods, quantities, etc. But the cannabis grown in the mountainous regions of the Rif, located in the Spanish region, beyond the control of the Board.
The prohibition of cannabis production in Morocco a French protectorate Dahir dates back to December 22 1932 France, which banned the production and trafficking of its metropolitan territory in 1916, decided to enforce its international laws and commitments in the material to its colonies. Dahir 1932 prohibited the cultivation of cannabis, except that grown under the control of the board, in the Haouz (plain of Marrakech region) and the Gharb (plain area Kenitra). Finally, the Dahir of 24 April 1954 extended the ban on the cultivation and consumption of cannabis throughout Morocco a French protectorate.
After Morocco's independence in 1956, this prohibition was extended to the entire country, a former Spanish zone included. This decision was not well received by the thousands of small farmers who had previously benefited from the Spanish tolerance of cannabis cultivation. The Moroccan government decided to allow the cultivation in a small area, located exclusively around the village Azilal at the foot of Mont Tiddighine (Province of Al Hoceima). In addition, he decided to buy the entire crop farmers to make his cremation. This however had to be abandoned after three years due to financial difficulties of the young Moroccan administration.
In 1958, a number of factors, such as the extension to the northern part of the rest of the country's forest plan, the high unemployment rate in the region, or the price increase due to the unification of currencies, provoked what is called the "revolt of the mountains," put down by the army in the spring of 1959 These events led the Moroccan government to tolerate the cultivation of cannabis as part of an informal economy for the people of the Rif to survive. Thus, despite the extension of the Dahir of 1954, the cultivation of cannabis was tolerated in some tribes of the Rif. Within existing areas, however, were maintained and we tried to prevent the trade of cannabis is done in a way too obvious. Over the next ten years, the situation in the producing areas hardly changed.
The subsequent expansion of the area of cultivation, processing cannabis products (mainly hashish and oil), increasing the quantities produced and the search for foreign markets appear as the result of the meeting of two main factors. The first is the development of European demand for cannabis from the seventies, and the second socio-economic challenges faced by the Moroccan economy in general and the northern region in particular.
In the late 70s, cannabis cultivation was still in a probably less than 10,000 hectares. But the demand of the European market was beginning to take its toll and the peasants began to gradually increase the area under cultivation. The transformation into hashish, produced for the export market, began to become increasingly important, cannabis (grass) remaining for the local market and consumption.
The 60s were characterized in several regions of Morocco by massive rural-urban migration as a result of the destruction of subsistence agriculture or agricultural mechanization in some areas of the country. In those years, thousands of abandoned Rifains northern Morocco to Europe, to work in the Belgian mining, construction in the Netherlands or French automobile factories. But at the time of the economic crisis of the late 70s and structural adjustment programs mid-80s, this outlet of emigration had largely disappeared due to being restrictive emigration policies place in Europe. For farmers in northern Morocco, with little land, receiving no aid from the State, not having access to credit and using poor farming techniques, competition with modernized agriculture and imports of goods external food was an unequal battle. Cannabis cultivation became increasingly attractive, especially as the demand for cannabis European markets was increasing. Moroccan marketing networks were consolidated with the help of European traders and suppliers took the place of hashish other parts of the world (Lebanon, Afghanistan, who were then at war).
This era was marked by a rapid increase in cannabis surfaces. The original core of the country Senhaja (Ketama and vicinity), cannabis spread to Ghomara countries (Smih Bni, Bni R'zine, Banu Mansour, etc.) to Jebalas (Bni Ahmed) and to Al Hoceima in the East (Boufrah Bni, Bni Mesdouj).
The early 2000s seems to be marked by a new expansion of the cultivation of cannabis is now gaining fertile land outside of traditional areas. This extension of cannabis locks gradually an entire region into a dangerous situation monoculture. Monoculture cannabis has cost the city of Chefchaouen and surrounding their agricultural and food self-sufficiency. Land owned by many families in the regions of Ghomaras and Akhmas previously spent many varieties of plantations and farms are now mainly used for growing cannabis. (Source internet forum Dafina)
