MOROCCO–North Africa’s first legal cannabis lab is being constructed in Morocco by Bio Cannat, the first Moroccan cooperative authorized to market and export cannabis and its products for industrial and medical use.
In a statement, the cooperative stressed that it had obtained authorization as part of the ten permits delivered by the National Agency for Activities Related to Cannabis (ANRAC) in October 2022.ANRAC is an agency that was created to oversee the newly established legal cannabis industry.
The lab, which is now being built in the Chefchaouen region, is considered the first unit at the national. The cannabis produced by the lab will be used in many industries, including food, industrial, medical, and paramedical sectors.
“There will be agricultural experiments with some of the farmers in the Chefchaouen region, who are involved in agricultural co-operatives to provide the raw material after providing the seeds intended for this purpose,” the communique added.
Morocco has long been known as the biggest cannabis producer in the world, a distinction that was confirmed last year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, according to High Times Magazine.
In 2021, Morocco adopted bill 13-21, allowing the country to establish itself among a growing list of first African countries that have decided to legalize cannabis for medical use.
“The House of Representatives adopted the law with 119 votes in support and 48 against it. Recreational use remains prohibited and subject to prosecution,” local newsrooms reported at the time.
Last year, Morocco’s Consultative Association for the Use of Cannabis (AMCUC) called for promoting measures to support investments in production and processing of cannabis products in the country.
The association appealed for a “gradual conversion of illegal agricultural activities that are harmful to the environment towards legal and sustainable activities that create value and jobs.”
At the beginning of the year, ANRAC issued 50 new licenses to 20 players in the cannabis sector to enable them to carry out legal activities related to this controversial plant.
With the ANRAC granting, the Moroccan sector now has 35 operators operating legally in cannabis, holding more than 100 operational licenses.
The permits enable farmers to grow and process cannabis through a constellation of agricultural collectives under strict government supervision and regulation.
Through the measure, Morocco aims to ensure that cannabis legalization for industrial use benefits legal cannabis farmers while cracking down on any illegal practices.
Allied Market Research projects the cannabis food and beverage market size valued at US$427 million in 2018, to reach US$2.632.0 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 26.6% from 2019 to 2026.
The cannabis-infused food market is driven by a shift of cannabis consumers from smoking flowers with joints, pots, and bongs towards a variety of products, including concentrates, infused products, and topicals.
The products that are launched in the market are addressing the attributes that the consumers demand, such as ease of use, the safety of the products, and accurate dosage within the products.
For all the latest food industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
