
In the rugged Rif mountains of northern Morocco, cannabis plants are now growing legally under the blazing summer sun. For farmers like Abderrahman Talbi, who once worked in fear of police raids, the shift to regulated cultivation has transformed daily life.
“I can now say I am a cannabis farmer without fear,” Talbi said. “Peace of mind has no price.”
Morocco legalized cannabis farming for medical and industrial purposes in 2022, aiming to generate new revenue and provide stability in the historically restive Rif region, while curbing the illicit trade that made the country one of the world’s largest cannabis producers. Recreational use, however, remains banned.
The impact has been swift: the number of licensed cannabis farmers has jumped from 430 in 2023 to about 5,000 this year, according to the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis (ANRAC). Legal output surged to 4,200 tonnes in 2024, fourteen times higher than the first harvest.
Still, the black market remains far larger. While 5,800 hectares are now legally cultivated, more than 27,000 hectares remain illegal, supplying a lucrative demand for recreational cannabis in Europe and Africa. Illegal producers are tempted by much higher profits—processed resin can sell for up to 2,500 dirhams ($250) a kilo on the illicit market, compared with roughly 50 dirhams paid by cooperatives for raw plants.
“The process is too complicated,” said farmer Mohamed El Mourabit, who initially welcomed legalization but now feels constrained by strict licensing rules. Legal cultivation requires joining a cooperative, which processes cannabis into medical and industrial products such as oils, capsules, and powders.
Authorities continue to crack down on the illegal trade, seizing 249 tonnes of cannabis resin by September last year—a 48% increase on the total for 2023. Last year, more than 4,800 people received royal pardons for cannabis-related offenses, including farmer Mohammed Azzouzi, who is now preparing for his first legal harvest.
Legalization advocates argue that Morocco will struggle to dismantle the illicit market unless it broadens the framework to include recreational use. But ANRAC head Mohamed Guerrouj says that for now, the focus remains on pharmaceuticals:
“The goal is to develop Morocco’s pharmaceutical industry… not coffee shops,” he said.