Jumblatt tweets in favor of Marijuana amidst the welcome of farmers in the Beqaa

MP Walid Jumblat recently tweeted calling for the legalization of marijuana cultivation.  Jumblatt’s tweet did not go unnoticed among marijuana farmers in the Beqaa and notably in Baalbaq.  Al-Nahar newspaper met with a number of farmers who emphasised that the only solution is in legalizing this plant.  They considered that Jumblatt spoke on the behalf of all poor farmers in his tweet especially that these farmers were abandoned by the state who failed to support alternative farming such as wheat, potato and vegetables.  A big farmer in the region urged the state to legalise marijuana before its planting season in April.
To be noted that marijuana planting started in Baalbaq – Hermel region in the thirties of the previous century albeit on a limited scale.  Marijuana planting then expanded after 1975 with the beginning of the war as state control over the region faded.  According to Al- Nahar, authorities have yet to find a solution for this illicit farming which know-how has been transmitted from one generation to the other. Failures to combat it can be traced back to 1991 when the decision was taken by former MP Selim Hoss and with international support to prohibit marijuana, a support which was endorsed by the parliament.  These efforts were also to no avail as recorded by the failure of UNDP project to introduce alternative farming in that area.
(Source: Annahar 22 December 2014)