UM6P Partners with ANRAC to Boost Medical Cannabis Research in Morocco
Rabat – The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC) have signed a partnership agreement to work together on research into the medical and pharmaceutical uses of cannabis in Morocco.
This collaboration will focus on scientific research using tested medical methods to study how cannabis can be used to treat health problems, UM6P said in a press release. The goal is to better understand the active compounds in cannabis and how they might help treat certain illnesses safely and effectively.
The researchers will use tools like laboratory testing, computer modeling, and data analysis to learn more about how cannabis might work in medical treatments. They will follow strict health and safety rules throughout the research, added the statement.
The agreement also includes plans to share research results with professionals in the health, pharmacy, and clinical research sectors. This is to ensure that any scientific discoveries can be used in real-life treatments under proper supervision.
In addition to research, the partnership will offer training programs for doctors, pharmacists, researchers, and other healthcare professionals. These courses will teach about how cannabis works in the body, the legal rules for using it, and how to include cannabis-based treatments in patient care.
A separate agreement was also signed with the African Genome Center at UM6P to support a special project on studying the local cannabis variety called 'Beldia' using advanced genetic tools. The aim is to understand this local plant better and make sure it is protected and traceable.
This entire initiative is part of a bigger plan to build strong scientific knowledge about medical cannabis in Morocco. It brings together science, health care, legal standards, and ethics to develop safe and well-regulated medical uses for cannabis in the country, concluded the statement.
In recent years, Morocco has undertaken several regulatory reforms to transition its long-standing cannabis economy toward a legal, controlled system. In 2021, the Moroccan parliament passed a law permitting the cultivation of cannabis strictly for medical, cosmetic, and industrial purposes.
To enforce this, the government established the ANRAC, tasked with licensing farmers, processing facilities, exporters, and controlling THC thresholds, seed certification, traceability, and security across approved zones in the Rif region.
Between 2022 and 2024, ANRAC issued thousands of licenses covering cultivation on more than 2,700 hectares, with legal production topping 4,000 tonnes.
To incentivize transition, King Mohammed VI in August 2024 pardoned nearly 4,800 farmers convicted of illicit cannabis cultivation and helped them access the legal market.
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