Morocco Begins Legal Cultivation of Cannabis
This month marked the start of the country’s first legal growing season for cannabis.
In May 2023, the Moroccan government allowed farmers to begin cultivation of cannabis for the legal market, two years after allowing farming for medical, industrial, and export purposes (1,2). The move was also intended to help impoverished farmers in the region and curb the influence of the illegal market (1).
Cannabis is mostly grown in the northern mountainous region and the country is considered by the United Nations (UN) to be the world's largest producer of cannabis resin (2). Cannabis for recreational purposes is still illegal and growing it has been illegal since 1976 (1).
"The legal market will guarantee them income four to five times higher than what they earned illegally," said Mohammed El Guerrouj, director of Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Activités Relatives au Cannabis (ANRAC) (2). "Through their cooperatives, they will negotiate prices. They will have a fixed income, which will provide them with the ability to invest and improve their lifestyle."
Cannabis has been grown illegally in the country for decades, but last year the first 10 permits were given to grow cannabis for the legal market (3). The first permit for a cannabis laboratory to process cannabis in food and pharmaceutical industries was issued last year as well (4).
“More than 400 farmers have already obtained a cultivation permit and 75 operators have received processing, marketing or export permits, including pharmaceutical industries, agribusinesses, cooperatives and individuals," El Guerroj also stated. (2). The Moroccan government distributed seeds manufactured in Switzerland to the participating farmers to begin the cultivation (1).
Concerns for the future direction and impact of the market include resistance from the farmers who are most familiar with the illegal market and the lack of plans to legalize cannabis for recreational use (2).
References
- https://www.leafie.co.uk/news/moroccan-farmers-legal-cultivation-cannabis/
- https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2023/05/08/morocco-two-years-after-the-cannabis-law-farmers-in-the-rif-still-in-the-dark_6025848_124.html
- https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/morocco-issues-first-permits-cannabis-production-2022-10-05/
- https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/morocco-opens-first-lab-for-cannabis-use-in-industry-medicine/2838693
Ep 25: Cannabis Quality Differentiation Beyond Cannabinoid Content
February 28th 2025In this latest installment of Noid Knowledge we are joined by Julie Kowalski, a leading mind in analytical chemistry and cannabis testing. Julie has arranged a very compelling symposium for Pittcon entitled Cannabis Aroma: Advances and Challenges in Determining and Commercializing Cannabis Product Quality Attributes. It is taking place on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, starting at 9:30 AM in room 209. The session features top notch speakers, including several previous guests of this show, and yours truly, discussing the next generation of quality assessment in cannabis.
Ep 24, Part III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
