Morocco's cannabis growers thrive

Only two years ago, Abdesselam Ichou began growing cannabis legally as part of Morocco's legalisation of the plant for medicinal and industrial uses in an impoverished part of the country.

Now, he is among thousands of legal farmers whose area of cultivation has reached new highs and cut into the still-dominant illegal trade in Morocco, the world's biggest cannabis resin producer, according to the United Nations.

The North African country passed a law in 2021 allowing the cultivation of medical and industrial-use cannabis in areas of Rif, a mountainous region that has long been a major source of illicit hashish -- a stronger derivative of cannabis -- smuggled to Europe. "I never imagined that one day I would be able to grow cannabis without the fear and anxiety of being arrested, robbed, or not being able to sell my harvest," said Ichou, 48.

"Today, we work in broad daylight, in a free and dignified manner," he added, proudly showing his leafy crops in the commune of Mansoura, in the Chefchaouen region southeast of Tangiers.