Only two years ago, Abdesselam Ichou began growing cannabis legally as part of Morocco's legalisation of the plant for medicinal and industrial uses in an impoverished part of the country. Now, he is among thousands of legal farmers whose area of cultivation has reached new highs and cut into the still-dominant illegal trade in Morocco. "The situation is excellent today, because the farmer has a contract with the cooperative where everything is noted, including the quantity of production, whether it's one tonne, two or three, which guarantees an income," explains Ichou. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES