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Rabat – Morocco has launched a scientific study to examine the possibility of using cannabis in animal feed, as part of efforts to expand the plant’s legal uses in agriculture and veterinary fields.
The Moroccan Agency for the Regulation of Activities Related to Cannabis (ANRAC) made the announcement following the signing of a framework agreement with the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine in Rabat.
According to the agency, the agreement aims to launch a scientific research program to study the use of a cannabis-based molecule as an alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics in poultry farming.
The program is expected to lead to clear protocols for integrating the cannabis molecule into animal feed. The agency described this step as essential to properly regulate and organize this type of use.
The research program will run for 10 months and mainly aims to develop a feed formula for the poultry sector based on a cannabis-derived molecule that can be used at an industrial level.
The Veterinary Medicine Department at the institute will lead the research. It will study the role of the cannabis molecule in improving gut health in poultry, strengthening their immune systems, and increasing productivity in chicken farming.
Researchers also aim to confirm scientific data that would allow the cannabis molecule to be adopted as an effective alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics and help improve both productivity and the quality of poultry products.
Morocco began reforming its cannabis laws in 2021, when parliament passed a law to allow the plant to be used legally for medical, cosmetic, and industrial purposes. The new legal framework is meant to replace decades of informal and illegal production with a regulated industry.
Since then, ANRAC has been issuing licenses to farmers and companies. The agency granted around 3,000 permits for legal cannabis cultivation and production in 2024, a big increase from just a few hundred the year before. These permits were given to thousands of farmers, cooperatives, and operators involved in growing, processing, marketing, and other activities.
The growing legal cannabis sector has also seen a number of licensed products approved for sale, including items like cosmetic and dietary products. The government says the regulated market can help rural economies, create jobs, and bring farmers out of the illegal market.
However, recreational use of cannabis remains illegal, and some critics worry that regulation might still lead to expanded illegal growing and trafficking.
