Massive business prospects of cannabis prompt Morocco's king to pardon more than 4,800 growers

Morocco is poised to be a major player in the global legal cannabis trade and is setting out to conquer the European market, looking to benefit from the legalization of the substance in 21 of the 27 E.U. member countries.

King Mohammed VI has issued an order to pardon many people convicted, prosecuted or wanted in cases related to cannabis cultivation, coinciding with this year's anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.

The pardon will allow the beneficiaries to integrate into the government's economic and political strategy of developing alternative crops, according to the statement from the Ministry of Justice. Morocco has been developing a policy aimed at expanding the markets for this crop for some time. In 2021, it passed a law legalizing the production and medical use of cannabis, in addition to authorizing the cultivation of industrial hemp.

Morocco is poised to establish itself as a major player in the global legal cannabis market and has created the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC) to oversee legal cultivation and export for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes. This government agency has granted more than 200 licenses related to cannabis processing, seed imports and product exports. According to Forbes, Morocco recently made its first legal shipment of cannabis to Switzerland, as a first target to enter the European medical cannabis market.

Le Monde reported that Morocco is launching its conquest of the European market to benefit from the legalization of the drug in 21 of the 27 E.U. member countries, and that this market represents annual revenues in the millions of dollars. In 2023, the initial harvest was the largest ever after the country approved its cultivation and export, according to ANRAC. The documents of this agency list the commercial sectors that can use Moroccan cannabis, known as "green gold": medicine, aeronautics, agri-food, construction, hygiene, paper, plastic, textile.

The conversion of illicit crops into legal activities has led to an increase in authorized areas, especially in Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate, three provinces in the Rif region, in the north, where the cannabis economy dates back generations.

A recent report by the European Medicines Agency shows that the majority of cannabis resin in Europe comes from Morocco. The United Nations reports that 23,000 tons of marijuana flower and 800 tons of resin were produced in Morocco in 2021, making the country one of the world's leading cannabis supplying countries.