Ketama, Morocco’s Cannabis Paradise

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]C[/dropcap]lose your eyes and imagine a land where almost every bit of arable space is planted with high THC cannabis. If you opened them in the province of Ketama, in northern Morocco, that would be reality.

My partner Jane and I took a three-and-a-half hour flight from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Marrakesh, Morocco, hung out there for a few days, then hired a car and driver for the five-hour ride to cross the countryside to the “Blue City,” Chefchaouen, which flourishes on both domestic and international tourism. We saw no sign of cannabis in the two cities, no paraphernalia in shops, no one consuming it and certainly none in the fields.

However, that scene changed as soon as we crossed the border into the province of Ketama. It is located in the Rif Mountains, which have a pattern of steep hills, protected valleys and broad slopes. Its inhabitants are Berbers, indigenous people who have lived in North Africa for thousands of years, and they have their own culture, distinct from the rest of Morocco. And one of the only sources of income is cannabis.

Before we set out, we met a grower who lived 15 minutes from the town center. The house is built around an inner courtyard. Our host showed us three bags of kief made from last year’s crop—each a different variety. Hash-making has improved tremendously over the 30 years, since I first toured Morocco. His product was very satisfying.

We took a tour of our host’s farm, which consisted of fields ranging from fairly flat to moderately steep slopes. Cannabis was planted everywhere. Of course it did better on flat land, because the soil has more nutrients than on sloped land.

Our host gave us full rein to explore on his property and the surrounding farms. But before he drove us back to town, he took us up the mountain. At the very top, the land was leveled flat, and his cousin was building a large house there. The geography was plainly visible. These young mountains pushed up steep and jagged with a valley separating the peaks. We could see that every section of land that could support a crop was planted with cannabis. It reminded me of Van Gogh’s paintings of farms and fields. Differing techniques and the varieties being planted resulted in a patchwork of green and tan shades delineating each farmer’s holdings.

Farmers here were still growing using the traditional technique of planting plants close together to produce a single bud. Done properly and supported by nutrients, this can be an efficient technique for commercial production, because it would save the time and energy spent keeping plants in vegetative state. Most of the farmers do not understand that a pollinated female plant will not produce a resinous bud. It would be better if they pulled the male plants so that the female plants’ energy went into producing bud, rather than seed.

There weren’t many tourists in town, probably because it wasn’t hash buying season. In fact, there were so few guests at our hotel that we were assured of a “superior room.” The hotel was located in a valley. The land was flat and the plants were well cultivated and very healthy. I was looking at 25 acres right outside the hotel window. It was hilly on the back of the hotel, but parts of the slope had been terraced to make space for more cultivation.

We left Ketama shortly after we took photos and then we travelled to Fez, Morocco by car. It is a long journey because of the road winding its way through the mountains. The entire area, everywhere we could see, was planted with weed. It only stopped at the border of the district. At the official border the landscape abruptly changed into olive tree orchards, wheat, alfalfa and other crops, but no cannabis was visible.

View of the area from the top of the mountain. The land is flat towards the town center and then the slope increases into steep mountains. Every arable space is used. More was created using terracing.

The Shotwa Hotel. Ketama’s grandest. Our room cost about $20 a night. Hot water is available only on the first floor. The glory has faded but the bed was comfortable. No TV or AC.

To deal with the steep slope, individual planting areas were constructed to make level planting areas.

Male flowers. It’s the first week of July and all the male plants are flowering. Even in midsummer the plants receive more than 10 hours of darkness, inducing them to flower.

The author standing by a field with the city in the background.

A bag of premium kief that will be pressed into hash. Years ago the hash was very weak. Interbreeding with modern varieties has increased its potency to acceptable levels.

After the males are picked they are bundled up and carried out of the field. They are fed to livestock.

View of the area from the top of the mountain. The land is flat towards the town center and then the slope increases into steep mountains. Every arable space is used. More was created using terracing.

The town is surrounded by fields. Not a tomato plant in sight.

All photos courtesy Ed Rosenthal.