Casablanca – Morocco is entering a new phase in the regulation of its legal cannabis industry, with authorities preparing a comprehensive overhaul of the marketing and export framework ahead of 2026. The reform effort reflects growing recognition that production alone is insufficient to secure the sector’s sustainability, and that stronger, more organized commercial and export channels are essential to unlock its full economic potential.

The National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC) has recently intensified its oversight of operators holding marketing and export licenses. This move follows an extended period of consultations, assessments, and coordination involving public authorities and private stakeholders, aimed at correcting structural weaknesses that have limited the effectiveness of the current system.

License review and enforcement measures

At the core of the reform is a large-scale review of marketing and export licenses. Around 60 operators currently hold authorizations to commercialize and export legal cannabis products. Following regulatory evaluations, authorities decided to withdraw licenses from nearly half of these actors after identifying persistent non-compliance with legal and operational requirements.

The main violations relate to the absence of effective activity and the failure to establish contractual links with agricultural cooperatives producing cannabis or with licensed processing companies. Under existing regulations, license holders are required to operate within an integrated value chain that connects production, processing, and commercialization. Operators that failed to activate their licenses for two consecutive years are legally subject to withdrawal.

The enforcement process was gradual rather than abrupt. Over more than a year, license holders were repeatedly alerted through meetings and formal communications about the need to regularize their situation. A final warning mechanism was applied, granting affected operators a 30-day deadline to bring their operations into compliance before licenses were definitively revoked.

Authorities stress that the objective of these measures is not to exclude participants, but to restore order and credibility in a sector that has suffered from fragmented practices and insufficient coordination.

Addressing market imbalances

Regulators have highlighted several practices that disrupted market stability in recent years. Some licensed marketers reportedly engaged in price negotiations without securing product supply or without coordinating with producers and processors. This disconnect contributed to imbalances between supply and demand, weakened trust among stakeholders, and complicated the positioning of Moroccan legal cannabis in both domestic and international markets.

By tightening oversight, authorities aim to ensure that marketing and export activities are grounded in actual production capacity and transparent contractual relationships. This approach is expected to improve traceability, pricing consistency, and overall market confidence.

It is worth noting that the new restrictions do not apply to operators with integrated business models combining processing, marketing, and export activities. These operators, whose number exceeds 100, are considered structurally aligned with the sector’s objectives and will continue operating under existing authorizations.

2026 as a strategic turning point

The year 2026 has been identified as a pivotal milestone in Morocco’s legal cannabis strategy. Rather than focusing solely on cultivation volumes, policymakers now see marketing and exports as key levers for value creation and international positioning.

To this end, licensed operators have been asked to prepare clear and structured strategies for 2026. These plans are expected to account for domestic production levels, processing capacities, and coordination mechanisms across the value chain. Authorities intend to use these strategies as a basis for dialogue and adjustment, ensuring that commercial ambitions remain aligned with national supply capabilities.

This forward-looking approach reflects Morocco’s broader ambition to integrate legal cannabis into regulated global markets, particularly in medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial segments that demand high standards of quality and compliance.

Simplified procedures and new operational tools

As part of the reform package, several procedural changes have been introduced in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Trade. These measures aim to simplify and accelerate marketing and export processes while reinforcing quality, responsibility, and traceability standards.

One notable change is the ability for licensed operators to register multiple commercial brands with the national medicines and health products authority, without a predefined limit. This is expected to give companies greater flexibility in product development and branding strategies, particularly for export markets.

In addition, a new logistics procedure allows operators to submit transport requests covering forecasts of up to three months in a single application, instead of filing separate requests for each shipment. This flexibility is subject to regular reporting obligations, ensuring continued regulatory oversight.

The reforms also allow licensed marketers and exporters to establish partnerships for opening dedicated sales outlets, provided that these outlets remain clearly linked to the licensed entity. Direct contractual arrangements with licensed processors are also permitted, on the condition that the producing cooperatives supplying raw materials are clearly identified, strengthening transparency and traceability.

Opening pathways to international markets

To support market access abroad, authorities have authorized the export of cannabis samples for testing and analysis by accredited exporters. These shipments may be carried out at the request of pharmaceutical companies or industrial buyers seeking to evaluate Moroccan products before entering into commercial agreements. This step aligns domestic regulation with international market practices and technical standards.

Toward a structured and sustainable model

Officials emphasize that the success of the legal cannabis sector depends on coordination and complementarity between producers, processors, marketers, and exporters. By reinforcing rules and clarifying responsibilities, the new framework aims to stabilize the market, protect national production, and eliminate unregulated practices that previously hindered development.

As Morocco approaches 2026, the restructuring of marketing and export channels is shaping up as a defining test for the legal cannabis industry—one that could determine its ability to deliver sustainable economic value within a controlled and internationally competitive framework.