Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has granted pardons to nearly 5,000 individuals convicted or wanted for charges related to illegal cannabis cultivation, the justice ministry announced on Monday.
Morocco, one of the world’s leading cannabis producers, legalized the cultivation, export, and use of the plant for medicinal and industrial purposes in 2021, while recreational use remains prohibited.
The royal pardon aims to motivate farmers to transition to legal cannabis cultivation, improving their income and living conditions, according to Mohammed El Guerrouj, head of Morocco’s cannabis regulatory agency, ANRAC.
Official data shows that Morocco’s first legal cannabis harvest in 2023 yielded 294 metric tons, with 225 kilograms exported legally so far.
This year, the harvest is expected to increase as the number of farming permits rises and ANRAC approves the cultivation of the local cannabis strain known as Beldia. Nearly a million people in northern Morocco rely on cannabis as their primary source of income, where it has been cultivated and consumed traditionally for generations.
The 2021 legalization was designed to enhance farmers’ livelihoods and shield them from drug traffickers who dominate the illegal cannabis trade. Morocco is also positioning itself to capitalize on the expanding global market for legal cannabis, having issued 54 export permits last year.
