Marrakech – A Moroccan child-protection organization has warned about candy sold in packaging that imitates cigarette packs, cautioning that the products could normalize smoking among children and pressing authorities to investigate.
Touche Pas à Mon Enfant (Don’t Touch My Child), led by its president Najat Anwar, voiced what it called “grave concern” after the confectionery circulated in Moroccan markets. The group warned that the products amount to a “worrying scene” that could “contribute to normalizing smoking among children” and encourage them to copy behaviors harmful to their health.
In a statement, the organization called on families to stay vigilant and monitor what their children buy. It also appealed to national media to show solidarity and help raise public awareness about the risks these products pose to young people.
The organization then pressed the authorities to act. It demanded urgent intervention and the opening of a field investigation to identify the source of the products, verify whether they comply with the laws in force, and take the measures needed to protect children.
The group framed the matter as a shared duty, describing the protection of childhood as “a collective responsibility” and warning that smoking “must not be turned into a game or candy in the eyes of our children.”
The controversy first surfaced in northern Morocco, where families expressed concern about sweets sold in packaging resembling cigarette packs. The complaints were initially carried by local media before wider reports circulated. Some coverage has referred to the products as “Smoke Candy.”
Several key details remain unconfirmed. The manufacturer, importer, country of origin, ingredients, and distribution network of the candy have not been independently established. There is also no verified evidence that the products contain tobacco or nicotine.
The central concern lies not in any proven toxic content, but in the more insidious danger that their appearance and packaging could normalize smoking, making the habit seem familiar, harmless, and socially acceptable to children.
The dispute touches on a public-health concern already recognized internationally. Article 16(1)(c) of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) identifies restrictions on sweets, snacks, toys, and other objects resembling tobacco products and appealing to minors among the measures governments can adopt. The provision addresses imitation products themselves, even when they do not necessarily contain tobacco.
According to the United Nations treaty register, Morocco signed the convention on April 16, 2004, but had not ratified it as of October 2026, meaning the provision is not directly binding on the country.
Neighboring Spain provides a particularly relevant comparison because it is Morocco’s immediate European neighbor. Under Article 3(2) of its Law 28/2005, the sale or supply to people under 18 of products imitating tobacco is prohibited, and the measure expressly covers sweets, snacks, toys, and other objects shaped like tobacco products that may appeal to minors. It specifically addresses the category of confectionery at the center of the Moroccan controversy.
Morocco’s own framework is less direct. Law 15-91, promulgated in 1995, restricts smoking in certain public places and bans specified forms of tobacco advertising and promotion. However, Article 1 defines tobacco products as items intended to be smoked and made wholly or partly from tobacco, and it does not explicitly prohibit sweets simply because they resemble cigarettes.
A separate law governs food safety. Articles 16-20 of Law 28-07 set requirements for the labeling, traceability, and conformity of food products, and the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) subjects imported food to documentary checks, physical inspections, and, where needed, laboratory analysis.
Those checks could establish the candy’s composition, labeling, and importer, though food safety and the psychological effect of imitating cigarettes remain separate questions.
Scientific research has examined the possible consequences of such products. A 2007 study in Preventive Medicine, which surveyed 25,887 American adults, found that those who recalled using candy cigarettes as children had 1.83 times the adjusted odds of being current smokers. The finding points to an association rather than proof that the candy caused smoking.
An earlier 1992 study in Pediatrics found that children frequently played with candy cigarettes and imitated smoking, which researchers concluded could make the habit seem normal.
The warning also lands against a broader backdrop of youth tobacco exposure in Morocco. The WHO’s 2023 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, based on 4,615 students aged 13 to 15, found that 6.7% currently used a tobacco product and 8.9% used electronic cigarettes.
Among students who had visited points of sale, 75.4% had noticed tobacco advertising or promotions, while 11.3% of those who had never used tobacco were considered susceptible to future use. The survey also found that 56.9% of student smokers who tried to buy cigarettes were not prevented from doing so because of their age.
For now, no official recall, ban, or confirmed legal violation has been verified. The organization’s warning stands as a call for investigation rather than evidence that the products are illegal or toxic, leaving the authorities to determine their origin, contents, and compliance with Moroccan law.
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