Morocco: Illegal cannabis cultivation down 85% in twenty years

In a document, the Ministry of the Interior notes that, despite the legalization of cannabis cultivation for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes, illegal activity persists in several regions of the north of the kingdom, and drug seizures have reached record levels.

In August 2025, the security forces seized more than 385 tons of cannabis resin (hashish) and 61 tons of cannabis, compared to 344 tons of hashish and 112 tons of cannabis in 2024. The police operations also made it possible to dismantle several criminal networks and seize vehicles, trucks, "Go-Fast" speedboats and jet skis used for drug trafficking, the document specifies.

Morocco has regulated the use of cannabis with the adoption in June 2021 by the parliament of a law authorizing its use for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes and punishing its recreational use. In March 2022, the government adopted a decree authorizing the cultivation of this drug in the provinces of Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate.

The area dedicated to the legal cultivation of cannabis in these three provinces of the north of the kingdom has more than doubled, from 2,169 hectares in 2024 to 4,751 hectares in 2025, according to official figures.