The Royal Pardon initiative opens up promising new prospects for growers, who can develop their activities within a regulated framework
Since the beginning of 2024, the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-related Activities (ANRAC) has issued 3,029 authorisations under law 13-21 on the legal use of cannabis, compared to 721 authorisations in 2023.
According to ANRAC data collected by La Vie Eco, 2,837 authorisations have been granted to 2,659 farmers for the cultivation and production of cannabis, compared to 430 authorisations in 2023. On the other hand, 192 authorisations have also been granted to 98 operators, compared to 291 authorisations for 138 operators in 2023.
The 192 authorisations are divided into 60 authorisations for processing, 49 for marketing, 39 for export, 24 for seed imports, 18 for seed transport, one for seed export and one for the creation and operation of greenhouses.
The Agency stresses that the 98 operators benefiting from these authorisations are divided between 23 cooperatives, 51 companies and 24 private individuals.
Since the beginning of this year, ANRAC has certified 7.3 million cannabis seeds on the basis of 26 import authorisations granted by the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA) for an area of 1,164 hectares to 100 production cooperatives comprising 1,520 farmers.
Since the beginning of 2024, the Agency has also authorised the use of Beldia cannabis seeds, the local variety. In this regard, it should be noted that the farmer’s interest was the basis and has determined the implementation of this regulatory initiative. In total, 106 authorisations have been granted for the use of Beldia seeds for an area of 1,916 hectares in favour of 106 production cooperatives grouping 1,816 farmers.
The use of the Beldia variety was authorised in 2024 for production cooperatives, according to the first results of the study initiated with the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA) on the characterisation of the local Moroccan variety.
ANRAC has also drawn up, in collaboration with ONSSA, a protocol with precise and specific conditions to ensure the use of this variety in compliance with the regulatory provisions.
Some of these rules specify that any person interested in the legal use of cannabis must destroy all plant extracts with a THC content of 1% or more at the end of the processing operation for industrial purposes, leaving only extracts with a THC content of less than 1%.
To prove this, the results of analyses carried out by a laboratory recognised by the Agency must be submitted to ANRAC, justifying that the THC content of the production at the end of the processing stage of the Beldia variety is less than 1%.
The increase in authorisations for the legal use of cannabis is linked to the Royal Pardon initiative. However, this pardon refers exclusively to persons who have carried out purely agricultural activities and does not extend to those convicted or prosecuted for drug trafficking or other related serious crimes.
This initiative, in addition to reinforcing Morocco’s image internationally, strengthens confidence in the institutional process aimed at establishing a licit cannabis sector. It also opens up promising new prospects for farmers, who will be able to develop their activities within a regulated framework.
