Morocco Authorizes Cannabis Cultivation in Three Provinces for Medical Use

Things are progressing after the legalization of cannabis cultivation for medical use in Morocco. Decree 2.22.159 implementing certain provisions of Law No. 13.21 relating to the legal use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes was published in the latest issue of the Official Bulletin (BO 7078) and is de facto officially in force. This text had been examined and adopted in the Council of Government on March 3. The decree in its Article 1 sets the three provinces of Morocco where cannabis production is authorized. These are Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate. Other provinces can be added to this list depending on the attractiveness that cannabis-related activities will generate for national and international investors.

Article 2 of the decree defines the content of license applications and the procedures for their granting, which will be determined by a joint decision of the Ministries of the Interior, Health, Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. The decree provides, in its Article 3, for the creation of an advisory committee responsible for studying authorization requests, chaired by the Director General of the agency and composed of the National Office of Food Product Safety (ONSSA).