Moroccan Rapper Released On Bail After Cannabis Controversy

Moroccan rapper ElGrande Toto who was being prosecuted for "insults, defamation and threats" was released on bail in the late hours of Wednesday, October 26. 

ElGrande Toto, a Moroccan rapper who admitted to smoking marijuana despite the north African nation's prohibition on the practice, had been arrested on October 23. 

Despite Toto's apology after the event that led to his arrest, social media users were outraged by the comments he made before a concert he attended, the concert was hosted by the Morrocan Ministry of Culture. 

"It all started at the concert in Rabat, so I apologise to anyone offended by my words, starting with the authorities and the public who was there: the old people, the women and men who were there, and the organisers", Taha Fahssi AKA Toto said.

"We are not bad people, and we don't do bad things. We do rap, and rap has a particular language. Maybe I didn't use it properly at the right time", he added.

A law allowing cannabis production only for medical, cosmetic, and industrial uses was passed by the Moroccan parliament last year.

Cannabis is one of the most widely produced plants in the world, and authorities continue to struggle with the drug's smuggling.

They occasionally report the discovery of various quantities of cannabis resin.

One of the most spectacular occurred in April 2022, when more than 31 tonnes of marijuana were taken into custody.

"Kif," which has been traditionally grown for centuries, was permitted under French rule, banned in 1954, but tolerated ever since, and supports at least 60,000 families on 55,000 hectares," official data from 2019 read.