Morocco's cannabis reform: Why small farmers are left behind

Morocco's legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes was welcomed by growers in the country. The promise of a better future, however, has yet to materialize for many small-scale farmers.

Cannabis farmers in northern Morocco are under pressure from changing climate conditions, with water shortages intensifying the already fierce competition in the sector. In Azila, a village that depends entirely on the drug trade for its livelihood, farmers are allowed to cultivate cannabis but are not authorized to trade it. Here in the Rif Mountains, thousands of families rely on cannabis cultivation, but most live under precarious conditions. The most productive land, where the plants grow best, belongs to a handful of large operators who are increasingly taking control of the business. Anyone who continues to sell the crop illegally risks imprisonment.

Many farmers support legalization because they hope it will enable them to live without a constant fear of prosecution.

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