Empowering Women in Morocco's Cannabis Sector: A Call for Recognition and Equality

Amid the legislative transformations in the cannabis industry in Morocco, a pressing issue often overlooked is the role of women who bear the burdens of daily care and labor while significantly contributing to the economic sustainability of their families. These women work tirelessly to manage households, ensure their children receive education, and provide care for the elderly and sick, all while often lacking institutional recognition, social protection, or equitable access to development opportunities. In rural areas where cannabis cultivation is historically rooted, the phenomenon extends beyond mere agricultural output and production indicators. It encompasses families striving to maintain their livelihoods amid fluctuating incomes, where mothers prioritize their children’s schooling and women shoulder the responsibility of caregiving, striving to maintain family balance amidst dwindling resources. This reveals the contours of a caregiving economy; an invisible economic segment primarily supported by women yet absent from official economic calculations, and inadequately represented in public policies. The common thread among these cases is that the extensive work performed by women does not necessarily translate to economic independence or real decision-making authority regarding income or investments. The absence of social protection or decent job opportunities compounds their challenges. In many agricultural households, the income generated does not solely meet the immediate needs of producers but acts as a vital conduit for family solidarity, funding education, covering healthcare costs, and providing for extended family members. However, financial resources do not automatically lead to stable living conditions; they require meticulous daily budget management, prioritization of expenses, and ongoing adjustments between school fees, medical expenses, and household requirements. Women play a crucial role in this management, alongside their caregiving duties which do not cease with the end of the day or the depletion of income. This effort represents genuine economic and social value, despite the absence of monetary compensation or acknowledgment in official statistics. The paradox lies in the fact that the visible economy, which generates income, cannot sustain itself without the caregiving economy that upholds daily life and renews human capacity for work. Yet, the effectiveness of economic policies is measured by production and investment figures while the time and effort expended by women remain unrecognized. ### Women Balancing Work and Social Responsibility Sociological analysis becomes inadequate when treating women in cannabis cultivation areas as a homogeneous group; the field reflects a diversity of roles among those involved in agricultural work, family assistance, caregiving responsibilities, and those attempting to juggle domestic tasks with other income sources, all of which vary depending on educational levels and access to resources, finance, and property ownership. However, the shared experience among these women is that their intensive labor does not lead to economic independence or real decision-making power concerning income or investments, nor does it guarantee social protection or access to decent work. This raises a critical question that transcends mere symbolic recognition of women's sacrifices: How can this vital contribution be transformed into guaranteed rights, equitable opportunities, and genuine economic autonomy? In the context of limited resources, the extended family transforms into a self-support network, shouldering costs for healthcare, education, and assisting individuals during unemployment or illness. However, this solidarity is not an unlimited resource; as incomes decline and needs increase, family pressures mount, and women bear the brunt of these challenges. Women do not face poverty solely as a lack of financial resources but experience it as a deprivation of time, leading to exhaustion and reduced opportunities for work, learning, and public participation. This necessitates an expansion of social protection to include public services that alleviate caregiving burdens. ### The Legalization of Cannabis and Its Legal Implications With the adoption of Law No. 13.21 concerning the legal uses of cannabis, Morocco has entered a new institutional phase to regulate this sector. This transformation presents an opportunity to engage in a broader discussion about economic and social development in the affected areas, but it also raises fundamental questions that extend beyond the regulation of production and marketing: Who will truly benefit from new economic opportunities? Will women have equal access to training, financing, cooperatives, and production and marketing chains? What measures can be taken to ensure that women's labor remains marginalized within an increasingly regulated economy? The transition to a legal economy does not automatically guarantee social justice; while the rules governing activities may change, the structural inequalities related to ownership, income, bargaining power, and market access may persist. Thus, the success of this transformation should not only be measured by the volume of licensed production or investment but by the tangible impact it has on the lives of women and families, as well as women's ability to access resources and participate in decision-making. The developmental issue does not lie merely in the principle of organizing economic activities or seeking alternatives but in how this transition is managed and how it addresses the social vulnerabilities of the affected families. When family stability hinges on a limited or seasonal resource, any change not accompanied by realistic alternatives may expose them to new social risks. Herein lies the responsibility of public policies to ensure conditions for a just transition by improving health and educational services, developing transport and infrastructure, and expanding training, employment, financing opportunities, and institutional support. The failure of public policies becomes an expression of a gap between the state's presence in regulating economic activities and its ability to provide supportive social conditions for development. In light of limited resources, the extended family has become a self-supporting network that bears the costs of healthcare, education, and assistance during unemployment or illness. However, this solidarity is not a boundless resource; as income declines and needs escalate, familial pressures increase, and women bear the consequences. Women do not confront poverty merely as a lack of money but experience it as a poverty of time; a deprivation of rest, diminished opportunities for work, learning, and public engagement, necessitating an expanded social safety net that includes public services to alleviate caregiving burdens. The issue concerning women in the cannabis sector is not merely a defense of a specific economic activity but a matter of social and economic rights, questioning the state's responsibility to ensure a transition that does not leave families to face transformations alone. The real alternative is not simply about replacing one crop with another or regulating the market but rather revolves around changing the conditions that make women the last line of defense against poverty and crises. This can only be achieved through comprehensive public policies that make dignity a tangible right and social justice a real outcome of development, rather than just a slogan accompanying it. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera Network.

As reported by aljazeera.net.