Cannabis fields in the Rif Mountains Source: the-misadventures-of-luciengrey.blogspot.nl
The People of Morrocco have always known the medicinal and economic value of the Cannabis Plant. For centuries. Farmers have been growing and processing Cannabis to be exported to markets throughout Europe. Although it is illegal to smoke hashish in Morocco, most of the men in the country smoke openly in cafes out of water pipes while drinking mint tea enthralled in card games and conversation with friends and family. The word ‘kif’ stems from the Arabic word for pleasure. Most of the Cannabis is grown and processed in the RIF Mountains in the North Eastern portion of Morocco. The region covers more than 11,000 square miles and supplies 70% of the European Hash Markets.
A bowl containing beaten kif.
Cannabis has been growing here since the 15th century. In the 60's and 70's people considered Morocco part of the Hippie Revolution, making the Country a popular travel spot. Back then, "kif" was produced for domestic use and fields of Cannabis were believed to cover only 5,000 hectres. Morocco obtained Pop Culture fame when legendary hashish producer Akmed (Hole in the Head) smoked white hashish with Timothy Leary at the base of Mt Tidiquin in the highest part of the Rif Mountains. There is the inexpensive commercial product and then the good stuff, which the locals call Oro Negro, or Black Gold. The quality hash from this region goes by many names including Ketama, Sputnik, Zero Zero, and King Hassan. Ketema Gold is the leading seller in Europe. Today, Moroccon Cannabis plants are estimated to cover more than 200,000 hectres.
The growing season here begins in March. Fields of sprouts are easily visible from the road. Farmers use rudimentary, labor intensive processes to create hash in stone houses built into the mountainsides. The plants are harvested from the fields anywhere from July to August and bunched together. The cannabis bunches are placed in drying rooms to cure before being made into hash using several different extraction techniques for a variety of end user products. The Hashish created ranges in color and texture, some sandy in consistency, some moist like clay. Many of the hashish produced ends up the same rusty color as the clay dirt found in the land here.
It's too dry in this region to grow regular vegetables. If this region of the World did not have Cannabis, they would be forced to work in cities for salaries, only a small portion of what they receive now. For many of these families, Cannabis is the only source of sustainable income available for food, shelter and other meager living expenses.
Recently, the European Union offered Farmers other options for livelihood strategies in an attempt to curb production. They realized quickly the farmers here are not willing to do anything but grow Cannabis for the purpose of Hashish.
An estimated one million people are thought to benefit annually on the cultivation of cannabis on more than 200,000 farms. For these poverty stricken families, Cannabis is their only option as a livelihood strategy and Hashish production techniques have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
Morocco exports more than 3,000 tons of processed Hashish with estimated values of more than $10 billion. making Cannabis 10% of the Country’s economy.
Local officials have traditionally protected Cannabis Farmers from becoming a part of the larger War on Drugs with only a few scattered stories of corruption, bribery and failed attempts by the European Union to offer subsidies to farmers willing to grow other agricultural commodities. For the most part Cannabis is accepted in society as a way of life and it’s not changing any time soon.
It comes as no surprise as more countries relax Cannabis prohibition laws, Morrocco’s Parliament is considering draft legislation allowing farmers a legal system of regulation and distribution of Cannabis products. Leaders in the country see Cannabis as a way to draw foreign investment as pharmaceutical companies show more interest in distributing Cannabis medicines in global markets. Over the next three years, Governor Mohamed Boudra of Huciema-Taounate, the Country’s Northern region will be working with Parliament to enact a program designed to build confidence and strengthen ties between farmers and Morrocco’s ruling Monarchy under King Mohammad VI.
“We have to ensure that any legalization is done in an optimal fashion,”Abdelhalim Allaoui, a lawmaker with the ruling Justice and Development Party, told Business Week.“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.” Business Week Article
For the families using Cannabis as a livelihood strategy and for the end user in the European Markets, this is all very good news highlighting the economic benefits of a plant known to sustain life in this region for centuries.
Amsterdam has been deemed famous for their approach to Drug Policy. Since the 70’s the Dutch government has adopted policies surrounding cannabis showing tolerance for personal use and allowing the sale of small amounts in a controlled and regulated environment. For this reason, a healthy tourism market developed accommodating millions of travelers from all over the World. Americans know Amsterdam to be a hub of Cannabis culture, the place to get seeds and an example of how allowing Cannabis use in society does not lead to crime or inspire the use of harder more illicit drugs. But how has this impacted the region economically?
Local sources estimate the total gross revenue of the Cannabis Industry as exceeding 1.6 billion Euros each year paying out an estimated 400 million or more in tax revenue to the government. It has been documented an employee of a coffee shop could at one point receive a home loan based on job security once provided by healthy Cannabis markets. As coffee shops close and jobs are lost, these same employees are losing their homes to foreclosure. This report seeks to examine the economic impact retracting decade old tolerance policies has on a region allowed to enjoy Cannabis as a sustainable livelihood strategy for so long.
The First Coffee Shop in Amsterdam is still open today.
In 1975, The Bulldog opened up in a building formally used as a brothel in the Red Light District. The business thrived and grew in spite of the fact the Dutch government did not fully adopt and define their soft drugs low tolerance policies until 1976 and coffee shops were technically deemed illegal until 1985. In the early years, Henk de Vries, the shop’s owner, and his friends were arrested by Dutch Police hundreds of times and yet the shop remained opened and business thrived. Today, the business incorporates multiple hotels and coffee shops, cannabis seeds, bicycles and promotional items into its portfolio.
Coffee shops were never and still are not considered legal by the Dutch authorities. The policies allowing for businesses such as The Bulldog to operate are defined in regulations meant to funnel enforcement efforts to eradicating harder drugs while appropriating tax dollars to the prosecution of those engaging in illegal activities involving these same hard drugs. Individual sales in coffee shops are limited to 5 grams per customer and businesses are not permitted to stock more than 500 grams at any given time. Additional restrictions limit sales to anyone over 18 and prohibit advertising.
Growers here employ the same strategies seen in the US, small grow houses sparsely distanced in any one region or City. It is illegal to grow and transport cannabis in Holland. Once the Cannabis reaches the coffee shop, it is legal to sell the cannabis as long as the transaction does not exceed the 5 gram limit. Growers remain elusive and those maintaining a house of cannabis slated for distribution in the coffee houses or moving it from a grow house to a coffee shop takes the highest risk of prosecution.
Until 2003, there were no medical programs in place for the use of Cannabis, so Doctors were not involved in the process at all. Today, residents of Amsterdam can receive a prescription for Cannabis and receive this medicine from a pharmacist. Most of these patients make arrangements to grow their own medicine, but everyone in Holland, regardless of patient status is limited to growing only 5 plants at a time.
At the height of the Cannabis Industry, Amsterdam housed 228 coffee shops engaging in sales of small amounts of cannabis. 43 were closed in 2008 due to the implementation of more stringent zoning laws disallowing a coffee shop to be within 1,000 feet of a school or bus stop. Dutch authorities claimed they were not changing their tolerance policies with regards to soft drugs, but would be attempting to scale down the amount of foreigners entering the City to enjoy cannabis for leisure without fear of prosecution, a reality unavailable to them in their own countries.
After the first wave of coffee shop closures subsided, more than 350 jobs had been lost in Amsterdam alone. Reports from the Association of Licensed Maastricht Coffee Shops (VOCM) indicate over 300 million Euros have been lost in revenue since the ban on sale to foreigners was enacted earlier this year. These numbers come from verifiable sources, but considering the lost revenue on the grower’s side, they seem to be only a portion of the real big picture. There is no way to verify the economic impact on the trimmers, gardeners and middle men involved in cultivating what was sold in the coffee shops.
Programs for registering travelers visiting coffee shops are being debated heatedly in political realms. Local activists criticize these proposals for their inability to curb illicit black market drug activity citing people will simply purchase from street drug pushers or pay local residents to obtain Cannabis from a shop for them. Those involved in cultivation receive no protections from these policies. Growing would still be an offense punishable with fines and time served.
Another policy change designed to limit foreign travel to Amsterdam affects the growers directly and seems unenforceable when cultivation is completely illegal. Dutch authorities are proposing to limit the amount of THC in the Cannabis sold in coffee shops to 15%. This downgrades the quality of the cannabis sold, making Amsterdam an undesirable location for obtaining high end marijuana.
The entire World is watching Holland to see how these changes in policy play out. Some activists believe losing this battle would give credence to the argument used by conservatives that tolerance does not work. Others see these attempts to curb Cannabis tourism as a complete waste of time as regulations are realistically unenforceable. The government imposes the highest retail income tax on coffee shops of any country and enjoys more than 400 million Euros annually from tax revenue generated by coffee shops. Coffee shop owners estimate 75% of their business comes from tourism, the rest serving local communities. Most of their income would be lost with this ban and they see it as taking the revenue from legitimate well established business and handing it back over to the black market.
Coffee Shops are not the only canna-businesses based in Amsterdam. Seed companies like Sensi Seeds, Green House Seeds and Bulldog Seeds, a side endeavor from The Bulldog Coffee House are still thriving. World renowned geneticists based in Holland are able to study and create seeds, sold on the internet and some of the largest seed banks call Amsterdam their home. These businesses are not being threatened and are continuing to grow at a steady rate each year.
So where does it go from here? For tourists, the countdown to cut-off has begun as the official ban goes into effect in January of 2013 making 2012 the last year to plan a trip to experience the City's offerings. Activists are planning protest rallies on the coveted April 20th holiday and business owners are making hard decisions being forced to diversify their services or be pushed out of business altogether. Even though the true economic impacts appear immeasurable by scientific and statistical standards, the reality of the loss felt by businesses and individuals is most certainly experienced on very profound and personal levels.
Activist Peter Lunk is inviting residents and tourists to participate in a 420 Amsterdam Smoke Out and Protest. Groups in the area hope everyone will show up to protest the discriminating WIETPAS rules allowing only Dutch citizens to enter the City to buy Cannabis at local coffee shops.
Tonya Davis, a featured activist in the documentary NORML Life has many reasons to use Medical Marijuana. Ailed with a rare genetic disease, Pseudohypoparathyroidism, causing nutrients necessary to basic bodily functions to pass through her body unrecognized and therefore, unused. Her Brain is covered in massive calcium deposits. Inflammatory Bowel Disease, similar to Chron's Disease has left adhesions throughout her digestive system, scarred from years of inflammation. Add crippling arthritis, a diseased esophagus and permanent spinal damage to the list of ailments and no one can argue Tonya Davis fits into any State's Medical Marijuana Patient program. Currently, Tonya lives in Ohio where the use of Medical Marijuana is illegal.
An avid cannabis user, Tonya believes her quality of life has improved due to prolonged use of marijuana and the medicinal qualities of the plant are powerful enough to preserve the parts of her brain not inundated with calcium deposits. Before Cannabis, Tonya went through many pharmaceutical treatments, including morphine patches and oxycotin, both leaving her more violently ill than the original problems themselves. These are a few of the many reasons Tonya fights for patient rights in a State where she is considered a criminal for the very use of the plant in any form.
What does a Cannabis patient do in a State where the penalties for marijuana are severe, risking home invasion style arrests and imprisonment followed by debilitating fines? Lobbying isn't enough. In this environment, an activist has to bring people out of the comfortable confinement of secrecy and band together to affect change in the law. Tonya Davis joined an organization versatile enough to take on all aspects of marijuana prohibition while keeping the focus on compassionate care for the people in obvious need of cannabis medicines. The task requires connecting patients with attorneys, getting politicians to acknowledge people otherwise lost in a failed medical system and inspiring individuals to be more compassionate. The Ohio Patient Network and The Ohio Patient Action Network were established to serve patients in Ohio and continues to change legislation and educate the public today. Tonya currently serves on its Board of Directors as President.
Attorney General Mike DeWine
The battle is not easy anywhere in the war on drugs and Tonya's networks experience obstacles every step of the way. Recently the Ohio Medical Cannabis Act was rejected by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for writing technicalities represented in the Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment. In early September the Ohio Medical Cannabis Act of 2012 was submitted with 2365 signatures to the attorney general as a continued effort to pass Ohio House Bill 214 introduced 4 years ago which would allow for patient safe access to medical cannabis. The Bill is currently stalled in the Health Committee and volunteers are busily preparing to file the next initiative with more than 2,000 signatures collected.
Tonya uses various media and participates in several organizations working to end cannabis prohibition including NORML, the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws to reach as many people as possible with her message. Since 2006, Tonya's YouTube Channel tonya420 has housed a collection of videos Tonya created over the years as a Medical Cannabis activist. In the videos, she describes living in constant fear of being prosecuted by police and educates the viewer about protecting their rights, using Cannabis as a medicine and more. At one time, Tonya was a co-host on Medical Marijuana Common Sense, a public access TV show with Nikki. Together, the two explored truth in medical marijuana from the woman's perspective. Archives of the show can be found on YouTube.
In addition to all of her production work, Tonya is the Medical Marijuana Director with Ohio NORML, President of Miami Valley NORML, State Director for Ohio with American Alliance for Medical Cannabis and a member of the NORML Women's Alliance. Her efforts do not go unnoticed. Tonya is asked to speak all over the country and has won activists awards for her extensive work in the movement. In 2009 Tonya was the proud recipient of NORML's Pauline Sabin Award. Pauline Sabin was a lead woman in the movement to end the prohibition of alcohol, establishing the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform in 1929.
NORML Life on DVD
Through the years, Tonya's message has reached mass audiences. Many lives have been changed as a result of her example of strength and courage, her refusal to give up until patients are guaranteed safe access to much needed Cannabis medicines. Her philosophy is simple: She doesn't have to change everyone's mind all at once. She focuses on changing one mind at a time and inspires others to do the same. Learn more about Tonya Davis in the documentary NORML Life, recently released on DVD by Cinema Libre Studios.
Order your copy of NORML Life on DVD today. Use the promotional code HEARTBRAIN when ordering online through Cinema Libre Studio or email StephanieBishop420@gmail.com for more information on public or educational screenings and wholesale distribution.
Words from others about working with Medical Marijuana activist, Tonya Davis:
"She gave me the courage to come out and be honest with EVERYONE in my life about my use of MMJ for my pain and anxiety. Tonya Davis has helped to change public perception about MMJ for us all and I loudly applaud her for her efforts, especially knowing that she is in declining health. God bless this wonderful lady for her efforts to help many."Rhia R. Ferner Drouillard
"Tonya Davis works to change cannabis laws in Ohio. For the first years of my activism, I only knew of her from her posts to the email list I belong to through NORML. From those posts, I was inspired to keep going at times when I was ready to give up. She just never stops in spite of her continuing health issues. She pushes the envelope every single day to support this cause in Ohio. She is a proud medical cannabis patient in a state that offers her no protection. She is fearless, and I feel fortunate to have had the honor of meeting her in person at the national NORML Conference in Portland in 2010. I am proud to be in her company as a fellow Pauline Sabin Award winner." Oregon Cannabis Activist Anna Diaz
In 2009, Marie Claire published an article about young women working in stressful corporate positions unwinding with marijuana after work instead of alcohol. Read Original Marie Claire Article Here Very soon after, the Today show aired a segment with Joanna Coles, Editor in Chief and Dr. Julie Holland a psychiatrist at the NYC School of Medicine following up the story with a surprising number. In a recent study, 8 Million women had admitted to choosing cannabis over alcohol as a way to relax and lower their stress levels.
Sabrina Fendrick at NORML read the article and was inspired by the power of the female voice in the movement to end cannabis prohibition. Immediately, she posted a follow – up article, Because Women are NORML, too.Read Original Article from NORML's Blog Here In it she states the following: “The normalizing of recreational cannabis consumption is not just happening with men, which is what most people think of when they think of pot smokers. Women, who are not necessarily left out of the movement, are rarely recognized as a major demographic that is essential for the reform effort to push forward in a truly legitimate fashion.” Recognizing the power women had in the movement, the initial plans for the NORML Women’s Alliance were laid out and a new NORML chapter was written.
Georgia Edson, Sabrina Fendrick, Stacia Cosner, Kyndra Miller and Diane Fornbacher
Sabrina called prominent female activists in the movement together to create the NORML Women’s Alliance including NORML Foundation chair and film producer Ann Druyan, attorney and political activist Jessica Corry, editor Shelby Sadler, best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich, Beverly Hills NORML director Cheryl Shuman, NORML Foundation board member Jeralyn Merritt, Esq., cannabis activist and author Mikki Norris, Cannabis Action Network and Berkeley Patients Group founder Debby Goldsberry, NORML board member and director of Oregon NORML Madeline Martinez, law professor Marjorie Russell, and former ACLU president Nadine Strossen. Together they created a mission statement citing the following as direction for the alliance: “These diverse women will bring a contemporary approach to the public policy debate, and will proudly represent the interests of modern, mainstream women who believe that the negative consequences of marijuana prohibition far outweigh any repercussions from marijuana consumption itself.” NORML Women's Alliance Mission Statement
They followed up with a list of positions held by the Women’s Alliance called the NORML Women’s Alliance Declarations which include statements against cannabis prohibition citing wasteful fiscal policies policing private behavior, the blow to civil rights caused by a government overstepping its boundaries and the lack of truthful information when presenting the issue to the youth of America as consequences of failed drug policy. NORML Women's Alliance Declarations
Since its inception, the NORML Women’s Alliance has and continues to expand to include more chapters and new members of NORML inspired by these women to get involved and be heard. The alliance has added new programs to inspire activist recruitment like the Sister to Sister program coupling seasoned activists with new activists to establish big sister, little sister relationships for mentoring and The Speakers Bureau, a group of female activists on the forefront of the movement ready to make statements or be interviewed on issues related to marijuana for media.
Sabrina is a featured activist in NORML Life, being released to DVD August 16 by Cinema Libre Studios. NORML Life explores the issues surrounding the marijuana plant with interviews from NORML founders, patients, providers and activists working to end prohibition. Order your copy today here: Purchase NORML Life Here
Cinema Libre Studios is a full service production and distribution company serving Independent Film Makers. For more information on their services or to explore their extensive library, please visit their website. Cinema Libre Studios Website
