Is Weed Legal in Morocco? Understanding Morocco Cannabis and Marijuana Laws (2026)

Recreational cannabis remains illegal in Morocco. Law 13-21 created a licensed system for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial uses, including regulated cosmetics and food-related products. It did not legalise street hashish, recreational smoking or unlicensed home cultivation.

What Does the Licensed System Cover?

The National Agency for the Regulation of Activities Related to Cannabis (ANRAC) administers authorisations across cultivation, processing, transport and trade. An operator must obtain approval for the relevant activity; one permission does not automatically cover every stage or every finished product.

Morocco’s approach belongs to the broader shift toward regulated medical and industrial cannabis in Africa. Its permissions and requirements remain specific to Morocco.

Is There a Universal 1% THC Limit?

No. ANRAC’s official FAQ sets a 1% THC threshold for non-medical industrial activities and explains that varieties exceeding it are reserved for medical and pharmaceutical industries. Describing all lawful Moroccan cannabis as below 1% is therefore incorrect.

This distinction does not allow recreational use of high-THC cannabis. It concerns the permitted purpose within an authorised supply chain. A THC percentage alone cannot establish that a particular crop, extract or retail product is lawful.

Who Can Grow Cannabis, and Where?

ANRAC identifies Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate as the designated cultivation provinces. Individual farmers can obtain cultivation authorisations: applicants must be adult Moroccan nationals residing in the designated areas, have lawful access to their plots, and belong to the required cooperative structure. It is wrong to say that only companies can hold any cannabis authorisation.

The Moroccan-company requirement applies to activities such as processing, manufacturing, marketing and export. The cultivation route has its own eligibility rules.

ANRAC’s grower guidance requires certified seeds and compliance with cooperative supply contracts. It also addresses records, crop quality, irrigation and security. Farmers should establish the authorised variety, buyer and production requirements before planting; a crop’s traditional local use is not an alternative to approval.

How Large Is the Regulated Industry?

ANRAC’s director reported the following results for the 2025 season, published in April 2026 coverage of the agency’s figures:

• 19,576 quintals of dried cannabis, equivalent to about 1,958 tonnes.
• 5,765 active authorisations, including 5,492 cultivation authorisations benefiting 5,318 farmers.
• 3,141 hectares harvested by 4,776 farmers, including 2,622 hectares of the local Beldia variety.
• 110 cannabis-based products registered during 2025, bringing the reported total to 141.

These are dated production and authorisation figures, not a live register. Authorised farmers and farmers who actually harvested are different measures. Harvested biomass also should not be equated with finished medicines sold or export revenue earned.

Are CBD Products and Medicines Available?

Morocco has a regulated market for cannabis-derived products, but the category and registration of the particular product matter. A cosmetic, food supplement and medicine do not have interchangeable approvals or permitted claims.

On March 13, 2026, the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AMMPS) announced an agreement with ANRAC concerning cannabis-product registration procedures. Its stated aim is to simplify administration while maintaining quality, safety and controls. The agreement does not amount to blanket approval of all CBD products.

Pharma 5’s cannabidiol oral medicine is listed in official Moroccan pharmaceutical price publications. For a patient, the relevant questions are the medicine’s approved use, prescribing requirements and pharmacy availability. A cannabidiol medicine should not be replaced with an unregistered oil or recreational cannabis on the assumption that they are equivalent.

When Did Legal Exports Begin?

Legal cannabis-product exports were already reported in April 2024. Later announcements describe different milestones, rather than the beginning of all exports.

For example, Cannaflex announced Beldia medical-cannabis shipments in April 2025, prepared in Chefchaouen for pharmaceutical laboratories abroad. The report identified ANRAC, AMMPS and Morocco Foodex among the authorities involved. This also shows why ANRAC authorisation should not be portrayed as the only clearance needed for every export.

In May 2026, SNRT reported a further milestone involving a GMP-compliant pharmaceutical cannabis extract. These product-specific developments should not be combined into a single, misleading “first export” date.

Does the Legal Industry Make Recreational Use Lawful?

No. A licensed farm or registered product does not authorise recreational possession, cultivation or trade. Morocco’s reputation for kif and hashish, and the visibility of offers in tourist areas, do not establish legality.

Before travelling with a cannabis-derived medicine, obtain product-specific confirmation from Moroccan health and border authorities. A foreign medical card or prescription should not be assumed to cover import requirements. Consumers should use authorised channels and verify the product rather than relying on packaging claims.

What Should Businesses Verify?

Check the authorised activity, eligible company or farmer structure, approved variety, supply contract, product registration and destination-market requirements. Keep separate evidence of a licence, a harvest, a shipment and a sale. Those distinctions provide a more useful picture of Morocco’s developing industry than undated promises of export growth.