Morocco made history last week, as it broke ground on what will be the North African country’s first lab for medical and industrial cannabis. 

According to Morocco World News, “Bio Cannat, the first Moroccan cooperative authorized to market and export cannabis and its products for industrial and medical use, launched last week the construction work for its first laboratory.

In a statement on Sunday, the cooperation stressed that it had obtained authorization as part of the ten permits delivered by the National Agency for Activities Related to Cannabis in October 2022.

The lab, which is now being built in the Chefchaouen region, is considered the first unit at the national. The cannabis produced by the lab will be used in many industries, including food, industrial, medical, and paramedical sectors.”

Morocco has long been known as the largest cannabis producer in the world –– a distinction that was confirmed by the United Nations on Drugs and Crime.

But it was not until 2021 that the Moroccan government brought its official policy in line with that output.