Morocco's cabinet discussed a cannabis legalization bill, described in the original report as covering recreational use. A government spokesperson said the cabinet would approve it the following week, confirming plans for legalization.
Details leaked before the official decision when Moroccan news agency Morocco Today published parts of the proposal.
After approval, growers would be able to sell crops to domestic and international companies. The government planned to organize producers through cooperatives and establish a legal industry.
Recent BBC estimates put the recreational sector at $8 billion, while the government believed it was twice that size.
The proposed legislation estimated Morocco's illicit cannabis trade at $15 billion. Under the illegal system, farmers earned half a billion dollars while traffickers received around $14.5 billion.
Details of the proposal
It would not permit cultivation nationwide, only within a designated area in the Rif mountains.
Under leaked Article 7, applicants would need Moroccan nationality, be over 18 and live in the permitted area.
Much remained unclear about the bill expected to be approved the following week.
