Morocco is exploring the possibility of adopting hybrid Marijuana in its efforts to attract investment and attention to its burgeoning Marijuana market. The country’s Rif Mountains which have long been renowned for its cannabis is experiencing an upheaval as traditional varieties are being smoked out by foreign hybrids which offer higher yields for farmers and greater potency for consumers. The local strain of marijuana known as Beldiya in the local language is quite coveted by consumers but they are gradually disappearing from the fields Morocco due to influx of foreign hybrids of the plant.

Morocco has long been a leading producer and exporter of hashish — refined cannabis resin — even though the production, sale and consumption of drugs is illegal in the country. A quarter of hashish seizures worldwide originated from Morocco between 2013 and 2017, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. While Morocco’s cannabis cultivation is falling, the adoption of hybrids means hashish production has remained stable.

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With this development, farmers have shifted to another strain called Critical by the locals which they say is more coveted by both consumers and buyers. Critical is a product of the Netherlands but has easily adapted to Morocco. It is the lastest hybrid created in the laboratories in Europe to be introduced to Morocco. This according to farmers have led many especially those in the region of  Ketama, located in the heart of the Rif Mountains range to shift to Critical because the seeds give a much higher yield.  Local officials say that major cannabis producers decide what to plant and hybrid plants have become a market all on their own. This is coming at a time government have started paying more attention to cannabis production. Other hybrids that are making waves in the country are “Pakistana”, “Amnesia” and “Gorilla”, because of their potency and affordability. Market sources say that Critical sells for 2,500 dirhams per kilo ($252, 230 euros), while Beldiya goes for up to 10,000 dirhams per kilo.

The high yields of imported hybrid cannabis plants come at a cost however. The strains require heavy fertilization, which can damage the soil. And their insatiable thirst threatens the region’s water supplies, according to the OFDT. Critical grows in the dry summer, requiring heavy irrigation, while Beldiya is planted in winter, depending only on rainfall. Some locals complain that major producers enforce the planting of hybrids even in arid areas.

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In 2003, 134,000 hectares (330,000 acres) were under cannabis cultivation, falling to 47,500 hectares by 2011 under a large official reconversion programme, according to a 2015 study by the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT). But modern hybrid strains produce five to 10 kilos (11 to 22 pounds) of hashish per quintal, a traditional unit of weight equivalent to 100 kilos, compared to a single kilo for kif, as local cannabis is known. “The substitution of hybrids for kif might explain why the production of Moroccan hashish has barely decreased,” the study said. Locals say that in Ketama, kif is part of the culture.

Hybrids like Critical are notable also for high levels of THC, marijuana’s main psychoactive chemical. The adoption of hybrids explains the “rapid and significant increase in the average THC content” of seized Moroccan hashish, according to the OFDT. Analysts say that European consumers no longer want hybrid cannabis on account of its high THC levels. Traditional Moroccan cannabis remains highly coveted, particularly by advocates of legalisation. Cannabis decriminalization they say remains controversial in the conservative country as proposals to legalise it have so far met fierce political opposition.

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That explains why producing it and smoking it are tolerated by the authorities and its cultivation provides a livelihood for 90,000 to 140,000 people in an otherwise deprived region known for its poor soil. People in the area say that it was mostly traffickers or intermediaries who bought the cannabis harvest for smuggling to Europe or other Moroccan towns.

One of the reasons the production of cannabis is in the upswing in some parts of Morocco is because job prospects are rare and there is high rate of youth unemployment so young people do whatever that pay for their keeps, says a community leader in the area.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.