Ghana to Learn from Morocco’s Cannabis Regulation Expertise

Morocco enacted Law 13-21 in 2021, legalizing cannabis cultivation for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses while maintaining the ban on recreational use.

Marrakech – Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) recently met with Morocco’s ambassador to Accra, Imane Quaadil, to study Morocco’s regulatory framework for legal cannabis. The meeting aimed to accelerate Ghana’s implementation of its own medical and industrial cannabis licensing program.

Led by Director General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, the Ghanaian delegation expressed interest in several aspects of Morocco’s cannabis regulation system.

These include license design, production chain control systems, cooperative organization, and variety certification procedures.

Ambassador Quaadil offered technical cooperation and confirmed arrangements for Ghanaian personnel to visit Morocco in September for observation and training sessions.

She stressed Morocco’s willingness to share its experience and information to strengthen the capacity of various drug control agencies across the continent.

Ghana amended its legal framework in 2023 to explicitly allow licensing for low-THC cannabis cultivation strictly for industrial and medical purposes.

The amendments place licensing responsibility within the country’s Ministry of Interior, while NACOC is tasked with operational implementation and control.

Ghanaian authorities have published guidelines to regulate the production chain, ensure quality, and reduce risks of diversion to the recreational market, which remains prohibited.

For Ghanaian officials, the challenge is twofold: creating formal economic opportunities for farmers currently dependent on informal circuits, and establishing health and traceability guarantees for patients and industries.

Morocco enacted Law 13-21 in 2021, legalizing cannabis cultivation for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses while maintaining the ban on recreational use.

The country established an institutional architecture around the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC) and has made progress in licensing, completing its first legal harvest, and expanding controlled areas.

The cooperation between Rabat and Accra could provide Ghana with practical tools for regulation, traceability, and agricultural governance as it develops its own legal cannabis industry.