Morocco, ranked the leading producer of cannabis by the UN, recently approved a law to regulate its use for industrial and medical purposes. This royal initiative aims to position the country as a leader in this constantly growing market.
Farmers in Morocco's Rif region can breathe a sigh of relief now that King Mohammed VI decided to pardon more than 4,800 of them for their illegal cannabis cultivation activities. This was announced by the Ministry of Justice in a statement on Monday evening, on the sidelines of the National Day celebrations. The monarch granted pardons to 4,831 people who had been prosecuted, convicted or wanted for their involvement in these cases.
This grace is intended to promote the integration of beneficiaries into the new policy launched after the partial legalization of cannabis production for therapeutic purposes. Morocco, the world's leading producer of cannabis according to the UN, passed a law in 2021 to regulate the industrial and medical uses of cannabis, authorizing its cultivation and exploitation in three disadvantaged provinces of the Rif region, located in the northeast of the country.
Opening Morocco (Rif) to modernity and ending its geographic isolation
The Moroccan government aims to combat drug trafficking by legalizing cannabis cultivation and opening up to the global legal cannabis market. The decision also aims to stimulate the economy in the Rif region, where the plant has been cultivated for centuries as a means of subsistence. for 80,000 to 120,000 families in 2019 according to official estimates. However, these clemency measures only apply to cannabis producers whose illegal activities were generally tolerated but who risked prosecution.
According to the director of the Agence nationale de réglementation des activités relatives au cannabis (Anrac), this initiative is a response to the growing demand for cannabis in France. unprecedented opportunity for farmers and their families to live in peace and participate in the legalization of cannabis. He adds that it is also an important step towards the gradual elimination of illicit cultivation by introducing alternative crops. Anrac was created to structure the legal cannabis industry, in particular by promoting its industrialization, processing, export and import for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial purposes. The Ministry of Justice points out that over 200 authorizations have already been granted by the agency to manufacturers for the processing, import of seeds and export of cannabis. In early July, the kingdom also exported cannabis to Switzerland legally for the first time.
A national greeting in Morocco
Chakib Al Khayari, coordinator of the Collectif marocain pour l'usage médical et industriel du kif, spoke in an interview with the online news site Hespressclose to the royal palace. He hailed Morocco's decision to legalize the medical and industrial use of cannabis as a "historic turning point" that will pave the way for sustainable socio-economic development that will also benefit Europe.
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