Morocco has taken an important step forward in its cannabis legalization policy. The official logo for legal cannabis products was announced in April, according to the official government gazette. A notice in the official government newspaper revealed the logo of legal cannabis products in Morocco. This logo must be placed on all legalized cannabis products.

As of May, the National Authority for Cannabis Related Activities (ANRAC) has approved 2,905 licenses for the legal production of cannabis.

In a recent statement, ANRAC said it reviewed 2,942 applications this year. This number is a significant increase from the 609 authorizations issued last year. ANRAC also issued 168 licenses to 61 pharmaceutical operators, 16 cooperatives, 37 companies and 7 individuals. Of the 168 licenses issued to operators, 48 are for industrial use and export.

The National Food Safety Office (ONSSA) issued 73 licenses to 73 producer cooperatives for the use of "beldia" seeds covering an area of 1,262 hectares and 11 licenses for the use of foreign seeds to 22 producer cooperatives covering an area of 286 hectares .

In addition, starting with the legal harvest in 2023, 42 different cannabis products were produced and submitted for registration to three operators and one processing cooperative. These include 11 types of cosmetics and personal hygiene products. As of April 23, the Ministry of Health has issued 7 registration certificates, of which 2 are related to food supplements and 5 are related to cosmetics and personal hygiene products. The remaining products are being accepted by relevant departments. review and is expected to receive a registration certificate shortly.
Morocco passed Law No. 13-21 on the legal use of cannabis in 2021, positioning itself as one of Africa's important producers of medical cannabis. The National Authority for Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC) announced in March this year that Morocco’s first legal cannabis harvest amounted to 294 tons.

At the council meeting held in December, the agency presented a report on achievements in 2022, technical and financial progress in 2023, and action plans for 2024. The official announced that from 2023, Moroccan hemp products containing CBD (cannabidiol) can be sold on domestic and international markets as food supplements and cosmetics. The ministries of health and agriculture signed the relevant decree in November 2023.

According to a joint notification issued by the two ministries on November 14, 2023 on foods and beverages for special nutritional purposes, food supplements containing cannabis extracts, especially CBD, must contain less than 0.3%. All products containing more than 0.3% are strictly prohibited. This concentration must be verified against a cannabidiol extract analysis report issued by an analytical laboratory accredited by the National Cannabis Related Activities Regulatory Authority,

Regarding the registration process for products based on cannabis extracts, an analytical report signed and stamped by an ANRAC-accredited control laboratory must state the dose of cannabis extract in the finished product, the amount of THC in the finished product and the level of cannabidiol The content of THC in the substance. Any registration application that does not comply with the above notice will be rejected.

As for cosmetics, according to the Ministry of Health’s October 25, 2023 circular on the registration procedures for cosmetics and personal hygiene products, cannabis extracts for cosmetics are strictly prohibited from containing THC. The finished product must not contain any traces of THC. Proof of being THC-free must come from an analytical report issued by an ANRAC-accredited analytical laboratory.

Any application for registration of cannabis-based cosmetics or body hygiene products must be preceded by a letter of authorization issued by ANRAC to register all these products. The Technical Advisory Committee, composed of the Drugs and Pharmacy Administration and the National Drugs and Cosmetics Registration Administration, provides opinions on submitted registration applications based on documents submitted to it by the Drugs and Pharmacy Administration. Based on the opinion of the Technical Advisory Committee, the Minister of Health issues a registration certificate, which is valid for 5 years and can be extended at the request of the beneficiary.

Furthermore, the monitoring and control actions carried out by ANRAC demonstrate that all cannabis-related activities carried out by growers and operators in 2023 are in compliance with the regulatory requirements (maintenance of regulatory registers, declared areas, THC content, delivery by production cooperatives to operators quantity).

ANRAC also stated that in 2024, Morocco’s National Cannabis Research Center will pay special attention to developing local cannabis varieties and promoting investment in the Moroccan cannabis industry in accordance with the needs of the global market, and will issue the necessary licenses to legally operating growers and operators to sell cannabis and its products. certificate.