Morocco's Islamist party wants to ban shisha pipes
In parallel, politicians in Morocco are trying to relax the law regarding cannabis
Morocco's Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) has proposed a law that would ban the smoking of shisha pipes throughout the country. Party deputy Abdellah Bouanou is behind the initiative, hoping to lead the PJD's years-long fight against the practice.
Shisha cafes have a long history in Morocco. While the special kind of tobacco needed is not officially banned in the country, the authorities in many towns — particularly in Casablanca and Marrakesh — frequently raid bars and cafes and seize shisha pipes.
Abdellah Bouanou hopes not only to outlaw shishas in bars and cafes, but also to ban their marketing and sale.
In contrast to cigarettes, smoking shisha releases a heavy, sweet fragrance. But it is also far more damaging to health than cigarettes, according to the conclusions of a meta-study that analyzed 542 trials published in the Public Health Reports journal.
According to the results, a shisa-smoking session is the equivalent of smoking 125 cigarettes, with partakers inhaling 25 times more tar and 10 times more carbon monoxide.
The main difference between the two habits comes in terms of frequency. While a smoker of cigarettes can easily smoke more than 20 a day, one wouldn't necessarily sit down for a shisha session on a daily basis.
Legalization of cannabis culture
In parallel — and seemingly in contrast — politicians in Morocco are trying to relax the law regarding cannabis.
Ilyas el-Omari, the regional head of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, called for the legalization of cannabis ahead of an international seminar on the matter on March 18 and 19. The initiative comes just over a year after a parliamentary debate on the issue.
Several participants in the debate assessed that cannabis does not need to be classified as a "tobacco" and called for its consumption to be decriminalized.
Morocco is the world's largest producer of medical marijuana.