Royal pardon for cannabis farmers, conducive to investments

Thousands of families, mostly in northern Morocco, breath a sigh of relief following a royal pardon that benefited 4781 farmers indicted or wanted on illegal cannabis farming charges.

Cannabis is the main agricultural activity in many areas in western Rif, where it has been grown for generations illegally.

Since 2021, Morocco opened a legalization process allowing the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes.

The pardon by King Mohammed VI is conducive to fostering the legalization of cannabis cultivation and is conducive to improving the living conditions of these farmers, said Mohamed El Guerrouj, head of Moroccan cannabis regulator, the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC).

The decision is also conducive to investments in the northern region as many farmers now are relieved of a past burden, during which the cultivation of the plant was illegal.

The pardon will also add momentum to legalization efforts as many farmers join the legal process to break free from the exploitation imposed by traffickers.

ANRAC offered 3000 licenses this year, for the production, processing, and import of cannabis-related products compared to just 609 last year.

Last year, Morocco’s legal cannabis harvest stood at 294 tons, the first since the country legalized the cultivation of cannabis for medicine and industry use in 2021.

So far this year, Morocco exported 225 kilograms of treated cannabis, El Guerrouj said.