Morocco Approves Licenses for 67 Cannabis-Based Products

RABAT – Moroccan regulators have cleared 67 Cannabis-derived products, signaling steady progress in the country’s push toward a structured legal framework for the plant.

The batch includes 26 cosmetic items and 41 dietary supplements, each vetted and registered by the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products for either local distribution or overseas shipment. This step follows the 2021 legislation that permitted Cannabis use in medical, cosmetic and industrial contexts, even as recreational applications stay off-limits.

Production has scaled up markedly in recent months. Farmers planted 4,400 hectares of the traditional Beldia strain this season across provinces like Taounate, Chefchaouen and Al Hoceima, more than tripling last year’s coverage. That effort draws in 4,490 participants organized into 250 cooperatives, with an extra 1,340 hectares set aside for crops from imported seeds, engaging another 1,650 growers in 50 groups.

Oversight remains rigorous. The National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities carried out 2,202 checks by the close of 2024, with a focus on transport and other operations to uphold standards and curb deviations.

In a notable advance, Morocco completed its first legal medical Cannabis export to Australia last month, shipping 50 kilograms of resin extract received with a traditional dry-sieved method from the mentioned-above Beldia strain, with 40% THC content, produced by Cannaflex Morocco in the Rif Mountains. The consignment, handled by the Australian Natural Therapeutics Group, marks a key entry into international markets beyond initial shipments to Europe and Africa.

This expansion reflects Morocco’s strategy to convert a long-standing trade into a formal economic driver, potentially lifting rural incomes, drawing foreign investment, and expanding legal Moroccan Cannabis internationally. Yet questions linger about enforcement consistency and market access for smaller operators, given the history of uneven adoption in similar reforms elsewhere.