Farmers receive permits to grow cannabis legally for the first time in Morocco

For the first time in Morocco’s history, a group of farmers in the North African nation will be able to grow cannabis legally for industry as well as export, BBC reported. The news comes after the Moroccan government awarded 10 permits to the farmers to cultivate the plant legally.

The permits were issued to farmers in al-Hoceima, Chefchaouen, and Taounate. The three areas are located in the north of Morocco. The permits will allow the farmers to grow and sell the drug for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial purposes. The legal cultivation of the plant will be done under the guidelines of a law the country’s parliament passed last year.

The permits were issued by a national agency that oversees cannabis activity in the North African nation. The agency said the farmers will be urged to expand the legal cultivation of cannabis to satisfy market demands.

Morocco has for a while been one of the countries that produce illegal cannabis on a large scale, per BBC. The plant is cultivated in the deprived mountainous areas of the country and smuggled to Europe.

The government’s initiative to legalize the cultivation of cannabis is intended to generate revenue for the poor farmers as well as the country’s economy.