TUNIS, Tunisia — The Coalition for Legalizing Cannabis, a civil coalition of young activists, announced Feb. 23 at a press conference in Tunis that it is working on a bill aimed at legalizing the production and consumption of cannabis in Tunisia. Work on the project is ongoing and consultations with parliamentarians is still underway in order to find a legal formula that is acceptable to all parties.

The coalition said that it is consulting with parliamentarians to develop legal frameworks for the production and consumption of cannabis, under which the state would reverse the sole right to produce and distribute cannabis, as well as that it would be entrusted with monitoring and regulation.

Chapter 2 of the Law on Narcotic Drugs of May 18, 1992, strictly prohibits the cultivation, consumption, production, promotion, harvesting, possession, acquisition, transfer or promotion of narcotic plants.

Qais bin Halima, a member of the coalition, told Al-Monitor that the legislative initiative includes a proposal to establish a subsidiary to the state, similar to a tobacco or alcohol company, which would be in charge of producing and promoting cannabis.