Dutch authorities are studying the possibility of legally importing Moroccan cannabis. According to information relayed on April 30 by specialized Spanish media Hemp. We explain to you …
The information has gone almost unnoticed. According to the Spanish media Hempthe Dutch authorities are considering the possibility of legally importing Moroccan medical cannabis. This intervenes in a context where the Dutch coffee shops have been authorized to sell foreign haschich (concentrated form of cannabis) until June 10, due to the shortages of legal products and local production difficulties. If it materializes, this announcement could represent an opportunity for the emerging Moroccan industry. It should also be noted that in this project, the Netherlands launched the “Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment”, a pilot program which aims to eliminate the illegal cannabis supply in the coffee shops. This project, initiated in ten municipalities, provides that sales institutions can only source from ten producers approved by the State, thus ensuring complete traceability of production to distribution.
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Since April 7, 2025, the experiment has entered its main phase, which will see all the coffee shops concerned Sell products from the regulated legal sector, hence the need to import to fill the legal cannabis production deficit. According to official data, this phase of experience is planned to last four years, going as far as 2029.
This dynamic could benefit from Morocco, especially since the country, through the Cannaflex company, began, on April 10, the export of cannabis for therapeutic use for specialized pharmaceutical laboratories in Europe and Africa. In figures, according to the year, Moroccan production of legal cannabis has more than tenfold, reaching 4,082.4 tonnes in 2024.
An emerging industry …
In fact, Morocco has many assets to become a major supplier of medical cannabis: ancient agricultural know-how, a favorable climate, competitive production costs and a legal framework under construction.
-“If Morocco wants to avoid the trap of gross export and build a sovereign sector, it will have to invest massively in industrial upstream, create bridges between university and business, and guarantee a fair redistribution of value to small producers,” confides one of our sources.
In addition, the size of the Dutch cannabis market for any use (medical use, use for adults and CBD) is the 7ᵉ in terms of importance in Europe after Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain and Poland. According to estimates of Prohibition Partnersa consulting and analysis firm specializing in the legal cannabis markets, the Dutch cannabis market was estimated at $ 162 million in 2024 and should display an average annual growth of more than 15 % until 2028.
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The challenge for Morocco is all the more important with the legal framework which takes shape in the Netherlands. According to the PlataForma cannabisondernemingen Nederland (PCN), Moroccan cannabis would represent between 20 and 25 % of sales in Dutch coffee shops through illicit circuits, a significant part that could enter the legal circuit in the years to come.
In the meantime, if this deal is materializing, it will be a good omen for the growth ambitions of Morocco on the European market. As a reminder, according to the Moroccan Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry and Innovation (IMFIip), the country could generate annual income between 4.2 and 6.3 billion dirhams by 2028, if it manages to capture between 10 % and 15 % of the European MEDICAL CANNABIS market.
