The work of the 1st International Conference on the Therapeutic and Industrial Potentials of Hemp in Morocco opened on Friday in Tangier with the participation of an audience of scientists, researchers, doctors, and Moroccan and foreign industrialists.
Organized by the Moroccan Consultative Association for the Use of Cannabis (AMCUC), this conference is part of the efforts made by Morocco to develop the various scientific and socioeconomic aspects, able to bring considerable added value. to this sector.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of this event, the Director of Scientific Research and Innovation at the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Ahmed Hammouch, underlined the importance of this meeting, which is intended to be a crossroads for the exchange of ideas and knowledge in the field of cannabis, and is an opportunity to address several aspects that will enrich the debates and lead to recommendations to support and accompany the new dynamic initiated after the promulgation of Law No. 13-21 relating to the legal uses of cannabis.
This event also reflects the will of all to work for the success of this project of national interest, noted Ahmed Hammouch, noting that Morocco has a real potential of various species of aromatic and medicinal plants (PAM), including those classified as products for medicinal and / or aromatic use, including cannabis.
“This wealth offers Moroccan researchers many fields of research covering several aspects related to biology, phytochemistry, taxonomy, and pharmacology of plants, among others, making it possible to develop socio-economic value and promote applied research , the enhancement of the national natural heritage and innovation in processing techniques, which are the main vectors of growth and competitiveness, and thus generate wealth and employment, ”he said.
The official considered that the development opportunities for medical, cosmetic and industrial cannabis in Morocco are real and promising, given the assets available to the Kingdom, through a favorable soil and climate, proximity to the European and African market, and ancestral know-how of traditional farmers, noting that scientific research around cannabis finds its place among the six national priorities for scientific research by 2025.
He assured that cannabis and its pharmaceutical and cosmetic derivatives represent an important research theme requiring the mobilization of national actors of various affiliations, the opening up to international networks and consortia of researchers and the involvement of private sector operators in the promotion of research products, with a view to ensuring better scientific exploitation of this natural wealth and to meet the ambitions of the New Development Model (NMD).
For his part, the president of AMCUC, Redouane Rabii, affirmed that this conference aims to examine the therapeutic potentialities and industrial uses of hemp, as well as the possibilities of using its components to launch value-added economic activities, in particular following the adoption of Law No. 13.21 on the legal uses of cannabis.
This meeting is also an opportunity to learn about foreign experiences and good practices in the field, in particular the experience developed by the United States, and to discuss the lines of research to be developed in partnership with the University Abdelmalek Essaâdi (UAE ), Mohammed I University of Oujda, the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) and the National Agency for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, to accelerate the use of cannabis in related industries and take advantage of the various benefits of this plant available in Morocco, he noted, believing that a good exploitation of this plant could make it a locomotive for a renewed industrial activity.
For his part, the President of the UAE, Bouchta El Moumni, emphasized the importance of scientific research, innovation and adapted training, pleading for the establishment of the Regional Center for Research and Development. valuation of cannabis in Al Hoceima, in partnership with local, regional, national and international socio-economic actors. This project aims to ensure sustainable and rational exploitation and management of LDCs in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, mainly hemp or cannabis, to ensure the preservation and safeguarding of biodiversity, and to strengthen scientific research and innovation within a legal framework on the legal use of cannabis for various medical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, industrial, and sustainable construction purposes, he said, noting that this center will constitute a multidimensional reference platform in terms of research and innovation.
As for Karim Amor of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), he considered that the entire cannabis value chain lies above all in the industrial development of this plant, affirming the determination of the CGEM to mobilize the 37 member federations, representing the entire industrial fabric, to encourage the industrial use of cannabis.
CGEM is working to develop 4 essential points in this area, namely the speed of project execution, commitment to small farmers, respect and preservation of the ecosystem, and the intrinsic value of this plant, a- he launched.
The speakers also underlined the need to have confidence in the Moroccan scientific, medical and industrial potential, to promote the emergence of new therapeutic uses adapted to national public health issues, to promote synergies between the various stakeholders, to adapt the arsenal. legal and regulatory aspects of local specificities and to encourage the establishment of innovation clusters around therapeutic cannabis.
The work of this three-day conference will be supervised by researchers, scientists and industrialists, Moroccan and foreign, with the objective of examining the therapeutic potentials and industrial uses of hemp, and of exchanging experiences and expertise in this area. domain.
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