Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has issued a pardon approximately 5,000 individuals previously convicted or wanted for illegal growing marijuana, a move aimed at encouraging lawful cultivation of the crop.
Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
Since 2021, Morocco has allowed the licensed the cultivation, export, and use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, though recreational use remains illegal. This royal pardon is seen as a push for farmers to transition into the legal cannabis market, which would “improve their livelihoods”, according to Mohammed El Guerrouj, head of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC).
In 2023, Morocco’s first legal cannabis harvest yielded 294 tons, though only 225 kilograms were legally exported, El Guerrouj told Reuters. This figure pales in comparison to the estimated 100,000 tons harvested annually in the Rif mountains, much of which is illegally exported.
Cannabis has long been a cultural staple in the Rif region. However, the region faces limited agricultural options due to its steep slopes and poor soil. As a result, cannabis cultivation remains a crucial source of income. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, up to 700,000 Moroccans, primarily in the Rif, rely on cannabis farming, with the illegal trade generating between €4 and €10 billion annually for European drug dealers.
The Moroccan government estimates that around 60,000 families, or roughly 400,000 people, depend on hemp cultivation. Farmers in the region earn an average annual income of €4,000 from cannabis, a figure comparable to other small-scale farming incomes across Morocco.
Only three provinces—Chefchaouen, Al Hoceima, and Taounat—are authorized for legal cannabis cultivation. Farmers must be Moroccan citizens and part of local cooperatives. The justice ministry praised the king’s pardons as a “noble gesture”.
