3 Moroccan provinces authorized to grow cannabis

The Moroccan Council of Ministers, which met last Thursday, specified by decree certain provisions of Law No. 13.21 regarding the lawful use of cannabis in Morocco. The new legislation, which continues to authorize the legalization of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, provides an idea of the general framework of this future legal market.

The most notable point is the delineation of the areas where cannabis cultivation will be permitted. The decree now specifies the regions in which activities related to the cultivation, production, establishment, and cultivation of cannabis may be authorized. The provinces of Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen, and Taounate—which already grow cannabis—have been selected in the first phase, with the possibility of adding other provinces depending on the interest shown by domestic and international investors.

In addition to its economic purpose, the Moroccan legalization bill Above all, it has a social mission, particularly to help traditional growers—who have an environment and climate conducive to cannabis cultivation, as well as ancestral knowledge, but who currently work on the black market—to transition out of that situation.

The text also emphasizes that the National Regulatory Agency will be the body responsible for issuing licenses.  To prevent the misuse of legal cannabis for illegal purposes, the agency must receive detailed monthly reports from licensees on the status of cannabis seeds, plants, and finished products.

The project also calls for the establishment of an advisory committee responsible for reviewing applications for authorizations and providing its opinion on them. Chaired by the Agency’s Director General or his or her representative, this committee will include representatives from the relevant departments.

This regulatory provision also authorizes the Ministries of the Interior, Agriculture, Health, and Commerce and Industry to issue rulings on the cultivation, production, processing, manufacturing, transportation, and export of cannabis. These authorities will also be able to issue rulings on the content of tetrahydrocannabinol the varieties that will be imported and grown.