Guest
Permitted for recreational use in New York and medical purposes in Morocco – things are gradually shifting for cannabis. Long demonized and banned, the plant has caused a rift between parents and children for generations. Mohamed comes from the northern region of Ketama, the cannabis farming stronghold of Morocco. Like most people who live in the area, his family relies on cannabis cultivation for its livelihood. In 2021, the government legalized the growing of cannabis for medical and cosmetic purposes. The journalist and activist has been fighting for years for this legalization and against criminality in the Rif mountains. Morocco is one of the world’s largest hashish exporters. But Mohamed’s enthusiasm for this new legislation is not shared by his mistrustful parents and the elders of his home region . Mone’t lives in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, a low-income neighborhood where 45 per cent of residents are African-American. The young Guyanese-American woman works as a political advisor and owns a small cannabis business. She’s been smoking weed since she was 16 years old and has experienced first-hand the illegal drugs trade and all its associated problems, among them murder and imprisonment. Mone’t’s mother Stachia rejects this aspect of her daughter’s lifestyle completely. She can’t see past the plant’s bad rap and its involvement in a family tragedy. Will Mohamed be able to convince his father and the elders of his home region that legalization is a good thing? Following the legalization of cannabis in New York, will Stachia be able to overcome her fears and support her daughter?
