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Lebanon towards legalizing cannabis cultivation
19-7-2018
The Speaker of the House Nabih Berri notified yesterday the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, that the Lebanese parliament is reviewing necessary studies to legalize the cultivation and production of cannabis for medicinal purposes similar to many European countries and some US states. An Nahar newspaper reported in this respect, that the global consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, commissioned by the Lebanese government to set out a vision to revive economic growth, has proposed legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana for medicinal uses. On the subject, the British Guardian published a report yesterday entitled, ‘How Cannabis Can Transform Lebanon’ pointing to the no go Bekaa town of Brital and its environs where cannabis is planted, and which if economic experts continue with their plans, could be transformed to a billion dollar business profiting the national economy. The newspaper quoted Lebanese trade minister Raed Khoury who earlier said that the quality of cannabis Lebanon boasts is one of the best in the world. Marijuana has been grown in the Bekaa since the Ottoman era and it reached its peak during the civil war, the Guardian went on to say, noting that the war in Syria has contributed to a new boom for farmers, who confirm that trade has increased by 50% since 2012 where they exported it clandestinely through the borders. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Lebanon is considered the third largest exporter of cannabis in the world, pointing out that exporters yield an estimated USD 175-USD 200 million a year from their exports to the Arab Gulf, Europe, Africa and North America. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, July 19, 2018)
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- العربية
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