Morocco’s Cannabis Legalization: A Cautionary Tale of Government Overreach and Economic Chaos

For decades, Moroccan farmers like Mohamed Makhlouf have toiled in the shadows cultivating cannabis under threat of arrest and confiscation. Today, Morocco claims a historic shift by legalizing certain forms of cannabis farming with grand promises of economic integration and poverty alleviation. But beneath the surface, this policy reveals a troubling mismatch between government regulations and the entrenched realities fueling a sprawling black market that still dominates. Can Government Regulation Truly Replace Decades-Old Black Market Realities? Morocco is the world's largest cannabis producer, yet its attempt since 2021 to piece together a regulated legal industry has made only limited inroads....