Morocco is all set to make use of the rapidly blooming legal cannabis market.
In March 2021, the Moroccan government approved the bill that authorizes the medical, industrial, and cosmetic use of cannabis. The government aims to access the global cannabis market and issue new regulations for the production, manufacture, transport, marketing, export, and import of cannabis. The United Nations surveyed between 2003 and 2004 to know about cannabis-related development in the Moroccan cannabis industry.
In 2003, the government dedicated about 134,000 ha of land for cannabis cultivation. At that time, Morocco produced about 98,000 tons of hash. However, after the ‘cannabis free provinces’ campaign launched in 2007, this amount was significantly reduced. In 2017, cannabis was being cultivated on 47,000 ha In 2017, cannabis was being cultivated on 47,000 ha and Morocco was the world’s largest cannabis resin producer with a market value of USD 9 billion. It is estimated that the market will rise to a value of USD 65.1 Billion in 2027.
The unregulated cannabis market in Morocco is a source of corruption. These negative social consequences have led to arrest warrants of more than 48000 cannabis growers. Decriminalization and amnesty are the only ways to reduce these consequences. The country has been ignoring the reality that the economy of this region is heavily dependent on cannabis cultivation. A sustainable development model is required to plan and give the farmers access to the legal cannabis market for a positive outcome.
Beldiya used to be the most important and common local cannabis strain in Morocco. However, it is gradually disappearing from the fields as farmers are now focusing on bringing ‚critical‘, a hybrid strain that originated from the Netherlands. It has a significantly higher quantity of THC and also offers much higher yields. Critical is cultivated in summers and requires heavy irrigation. Hybrid strains are capable of producing a higher quality of resin or hashish. Other hybrid strains named amnesia, gorilla, and Pakistana are also being prepared in the labs of North America and they are quite popular for being cost-effective and highly potent.
To sum up, the Moroccan government has finally realized that cannabis can stabilize the economy with legal production. Morocco is ready to generate about USD69 by 2027 if local farmers can get access to the legal cannabis market. However, to make full use of the cannabis industry potential, the country needs to focus on the international cannabis market demands and come up with business models that support it.
Hash 4.0. offers the consulting, engineering, and digitalization of the Cannabis process. We focus on the refinement of cannabis oil ( CBD/THC) for Medical as well as Industrial uses in Morocco.
