Cannabis heartland hopes for legalization

In the fields of this quiet village surrounded by mountains, men and women work clearing dirt and dry leaves from around cannabis plants, a major source of livelihoods in this impoverished corner of Lebanon,

The fertile Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon has long been notorious as one of the world’s major narcoticsgrowing regions, producing some of the finest quality cannabis, mostly processed into hashish. Today, the country is the third biggest producer in the world after Morocco and Afghanistan, according to the U.N.

But the valley’s residents have rarely felt the benefits. Now they are hoping their work will soon become legal after decades of crackdowns and raids. This week, a draft bill was introduced in parliament that would allow cultivation and use of cannabis for medical purposes.

The idea has fueled dreams of Lebanon raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and exports, a desperately needed source of income for a country weighed down by low growth, high unemployment and one of the heaviest debt burdens in the world. The legal industry will also create jobs and bring order in the Bekaa, a region notorious for lawlessness, proponents say. “I want to find a solution for what’s going on,” said legislator Antoine Habchi, who sent the bill to parliament. The aim is to “allow farmers to live with dignity.”

Habchi, who hails from cannabis-growing part of the Bekaa region, said the bill would bring economic returns and would include provisions to prevent and treat addiction.

Under the bill, cultivation would be tightly controlled. Private pharmaceutical companies would provide seeds and seedlings to farmers and during harvest plants would be counted to make sure nothing had been diverted. The size of fields would be regulated.