06/09/2024
Aicha Marhfour
Morocco has issued royal pardons to nearly 5000 cannabis farmers, but the Kingdom still faces challenges in its quest to build its industry, including meeting European requirements for export, its own illicit market and price competition from other African countries.
In a 19 August press release published by the Ministry of Justice, it was announced that the King of Morocco granted royal pardons to 4831 people convicted, prosecuted or wanted in cases related to cannabis cultivation. Those pardoned will be able to integrate into the legal market, it states.
Morocco is a semi-constitutional monarchy, with an elected parliament. The King has wide executive and legislative powers, which includes granting pardons to offenders, particularly to commemorate religious and other holidays.
According to Aurélien Bernard, the editor of Newsweed.fr, this is the first time that Morocco is officially publicising pardons granted to cannabis farmers and communicating them to the media. While he believes that cannabis-related offences have previously featured in Morocco’s pardon initiatives, August’s announcement was the first to be widely publicised.
This is in line with the country’s push to transform its legal market and tackle illicit production, Bernard said, with the country still leading in its production of hashish to France and other markets. As previously reported, in-depth analysis from the European Union Drugs Agency and Europol suggested that “most” of the cannabis resin available in Europe comes from Morocco.
First year of legal whole-plant production
Bernard noted ANRAC’s eagerness to communicate its progress, such as its widely-publicised first legal harvest. In March this year, the agency reported that the country’s first medical cannabis harvest in 2023 produced 294 metric tonnes (294,000kg).
