Morocco now has a CBD-based therapeutic designed to treat citizens who suffer from epileptic seizures and other unpleasant symptoms.
The local drug developer, Pharma 5 Laboratories, announced its launch on Friday. It will become broadly available during H1 next year. The pharmaceutical operator says it is the world’s first 100 per cent Moroccan generic drug made from medical cannabis.
Its creation required an investment of US$25 million.
“It effectively reduces the frequency and severity of seizures,” the company explained in a social media post, “providing an innovative and accessible therapeutic solution.”
The marijuana that its CBD is being extracted from is grown in the country’s Chefchaouen region. This area is renowned for cannabis cultivation activity, along with the Rif Mountains, that also extend through the Al Hoceima and Taounate provinces. These growing operations have been beneficial for poor communities.
Morocco currently has about 400,000 people who have been diagnosed with epilepsy, representing just over 1 per cent of the population.
“This is a huge step in reducing our reliance on expensive imported drugs,” Pharmaceutical 5 General Manager, Mia Lahlu Filal, told the local publication SNRT News.
🇲🇦🌿 Une première signée Pharma 5: un médicament à base de cannabis 100% marocain fait son entrée sur le marché pic.twitter.com/fGitGr19ye
— Le360 (@Le360fr) December 19, 2024
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Morocco generates an estimated US$10B from cannabis annually
The nation has been becoming more tolerant and accepting of the plant.
This summer, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI pardoned 5,000 illicit cannabis farmers of previous convictions in a move to promote regulated growing practices.
Morocco completed the first legal cannabis harvest in adherence with its regulatory framework implemented in 2021 last year. This was a significant achievement. It was followed by the nation’s first medical pot export to Switzerland this July.
The country’s marijuana authority, the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC), has issued over 2,900 cultivation licenses to date. It has been receiving a rapidly increasing number of applications.
Morocco is currently one of the world’s top producers of illicit cannabis. It supplies nearly 70 per cent of Europe’s marijuana needs and about 19 per cent of the world’s resin.
Authorities seized 8.1 tonnes of illegal resin hidden in a truck that was destined to be sent abroad in September.
The nation is particularly renowned for its hashish. A recreational market is yet to be established.
rowan@mugglehead.com
