Morocco's cannabis legalization overlooks environmental sustainability in the Rif mountains
Morocco's 2021 cannabis legalization prioritizes market standardization while neglecting the environmental consequences of shifting from traditional to industrial cultivation.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Analysis of Morocco's cannabis legalization framework found that regulatory priorities like standardization, traceability, and market control overlook environmental concerns. The shift from traditional beldia cultivation to water- and chemical-intensive hybrid greenhouse farming risks entrenching environmentally damaging practices despite opportunities legalization presents for sustainability.
Key Numbers
Morocco legalized medical and industrial cannabis in 2021; study draws on 20+ years of Rif region fieldwork; compares traditional beldia varieties against modern hybrid and greenhouse operations
How They Did This
Combined insights from over two decades of fieldwork in Morocco's Rif region with policy analysis. Compared legal and illicit cultivation systems, assessed resource use and biodiversity impacts, and situated Morocco's cannabis sector within national and international environmental commitments.
Why This Research Matters
As cannabis legalization expands globally, Morocco's experience shows that market-focused regulation can inadvertently accelerate environmental damage if sustainability is not built into the framework from the start.
The Bigger Picture
Cannabis regulation debates worldwide focus heavily on market access, social equity, and public health, but this study highlights a blind spot: the environmental footprint of legal cannabis cultivation, which varies dramatically depending on whether regulations incentivize traditional or industrial farming methods.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Qualitative and policy-focused approach without quantitative environmental measurements. Fieldwork concentrated in the Rif region may not represent all Moroccan cannabis cultivation. Environmental impacts of legal cultivation are still emerging.
Questions This Raises
- ?Can cannabis regulations incorporate environmental sustainability standards without disadvantaging traditional small farmers?
- ?How do the water and chemical footprints of greenhouse cannabis compare to outdoor traditional cultivation?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 20+ years of fieldwork informing this analysis
- Evidence Grade:
- Extensive qualitative fieldwork provides rich contextual insight, but lacks quantitative environmental measurements and relies on observational rather than experimental methods.
- Study Age:
- 2025 publication drawing on fieldwork conducted over two decades
- Original Title:
- Ecological dimensions of cannabis regulation in the Rif, Morocco.
- Published In:
- The International journal on drug policy, 146, 105045 (2025)
- Authors:
- Afsahi, Kenza, Tinasti, Khalid, Mouna, Khalid
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05872
Evidence Hierarchy
Uses interviews or focus groups to understand experiences in depth.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What did Morocco legalize in 2021?
Morocco legalized the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, aiming to promote development in the marginalized Rif mountain communities where illicit production was concentrated.
What environmental risks does legalization create?
The shift toward standardized, industrial cannabis farming using hybrid varieties and greenhouses increases water consumption and chemical inputs compared to traditional outdoor beldia cultivation.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05872APA
Afsahi, Kenza; Tinasti, Khalid; Mouna, Khalid. (2025). Ecological dimensions of cannabis regulation in the Rif, Morocco.. The International journal on drug policy, 146, 105045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105045
MLA
Afsahi, Kenza, et al. "Ecological dimensions of cannabis regulation in the Rif, Morocco.." The International journal on drug policy, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105045
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Ecological dimensions of cannabis regulation in the Rif, Mor..." RTHC-05872. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/afsahi-2025-ecological-dimensions-of-cannabis
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.