Cannabis cultivation in Morocco fell 40 per cent in 2005, from 120,500 to 72,500 hectares, and UNODC says vigorous eradication campaigns contributed to the drop alongside a severe drought on rain-fed land.[1] The campaigns in the provinces of Larache, Taounate and Chefchaouen targeted more than 15,000 hectares of cannabis between them, and the Moroccan government reported the complete eradication of all cannabis cultivated in Larache province, which in 2004 had accounted for ten per cent of overall cultivation in the country.[1] By official figures, Moroccan authorities eradicated 15,160 hectares of cannabis in 2005.[2]

In Larache itself, the authorities carried out monitoring and eradication actions between 26 June and 17 July 2005, while conducting no large eradication operations inside the Rif region proper.[3] The Moroccan press reported that at least 3,600 hectares of cannabis were eradicated in Larache province.[3] The campaign was directed by the provincial governor on government orders, preceded by an awareness campaign in mosques and souks, and carried out right before the harvest season without compensation to the targeted farmers.[3]