Morocco issues first permits for legal cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes

The Government of Morocco has issued the first ten permits for farmers to legally grow cannabis for industrial and export purposes, following the ratification in June 2021 of the measure legalizing the cultivation and commercialization of cannabis for medicinal and industrial use.

The National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC) has confirmed the issuance of the licenses just days after Mohamed el Gherruj took office as interim director of the agency, Moroccan daily ‘Le Matin’ has reported.

Thus, he has stressed that this decision is in line with the provisions of the law 13-21 on the licit use of cannabis and stressed that he will proceed to the authorization of other farmers in the ‘regulatory perimeter’, located between the provinces of Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taunate, as part of a process of conversion of crops towards a “licit culture”.

The Moroccan Minister of the Interior, Abdeluafi Laftit, defended during the parliamentary process of approval of the law that it seeks to open “development opportunities” in the areas of cannabis cultivation in the African country, one of the largest producers of this drug worldwide.

The production and commercialization of cannabis, centered mainly in the Rif area, has been illegal for years, which has led to the flourishing of illegal trafficking networks, also affecting Spain. The Rif has been the epicenter of protests in recent years against economic inequality and high unemployment.