Thousands Of Farmers In Morocco Have Received Authorization To Cultivate Cannabis In 2024

The climate in parts of Morocco is well-suited for large-scale cannabis production, which is why the North African nation has long served as a leading source of unregulated cannabis, particularly as a source for the European market.

In recent years, Morocco’s government has worked to modernize the nation’s cannabis policies and regulations to permit legal cannabis production and commerce. According to recently released statistics from Morocco, production authorizations have increased exponentially in 2024.

According to the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-related Activities (ANRAC), Morocco has issued 2,837 authorizations to 2,659 farmers so far in 2024, up from 430 authorizations in 2023.

Additionally, regulators in Morocco have issued 60 authorizations for processing, 49 for marketing, 39 for exports, and 24 for seed imports. The increase in authorizations in 2024 demonstrates the growth of Morocco’s emerging legal cannabis industry.

Earlier this month, Morocco’s king pardoned nearly 5,000 farmers previously convicted of cultivating cannabis. The pardons issued by King Mohammed VI should “encourage farmers” to get involved in Morocco’s emerging legal cannabis industry to “improve their revenue and living conditions” the head of ANRAC stated according to initial reporting by Reuters.

Currently, cannabis is legal for adult use in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Additionally, 57 countries have adopted medical cannabis legalization policies to some degree. Morocco is trying to gain a meaningful share of a legal global cannabis industry that is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.