Cannabis, hashish, rosin, etc., in Morocco

Cannabis, hashish, rosin, etc., in Morocco in 2017

ENG: Cultivation of hybrid cannabis varieties and products of hashish, extracts and concentrates, in the Rif, Morocco.

FR: Culture de variétés hybrides de cannabis et production de hachich, extraits et concentrés dans le Rif, Maroc.

Cannabis cultivation in the northern Rif region of Morocco is currently undergoing its most significant evolution since the hashish industry emerged in the 1960s and dramatically developed in the 1980s. By the 1990s, the country had reportedly overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s largest hashish producer. Now, as shown by what was documented during our recent fieldwork there, Morocco’s cannabis industry is transforming once more, following the introduction of feminized seed varieties in the late 1990s, the subsequent development of greatly-improved cultivation methods, and the production of high-potency modern extracts in the 2010s.

Fieldwork indicates that the adoption of agricultural innovations varies in scope and pace according to geographic location, as two small areas (Oued Laou and Ketama) appear more prone to adopting HYVs only, while a larger area (around Bab Berred) clearly displays aggregate adoption of the entire modern agricultural package (HYVs, seedlings on nursery beds, specific land preparation, row planting, drip irrigation, mulching, improved harvesting technique).

Fieldwork also showed that the adoption of modern techniques is not limited to cannabis cultivation but that it extends to hashish production. While traditional production of sieved hashish remains prevalent in the Rif, modern production techniques are developing, giving rise to very high-quality sieved hashish and various modern “cannabis extracts” of higher purity, quality and potency. Yet, these modern production techniques have not yet been widely adopted in the Rif and are still far from reaching the aggregate level, as various components of the technological package can be and are adopted independently.

Excerpt from Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy & Jennifer Macfarlane, 2018, Agricultural Innovations in Morocco’s Cannabis Industry, International Journal of Drug Policy, Volume 58, pp. 85–91 (49 742 signes). PDF Full Text.