Lebanon became the first Arab country to legalize cannabis farming in the hopes that sales from the plant will provide some relief to its debt-ridden economy.
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Key-Points
The legislation stated that marijuana cultivation will be considered for medicinal and industrial purposes. Any recreational use of marijuana will remain illegal.
The move comes after the New York-based global consulting company McKinsey had estimated the cultivation of cannabis in Lebanon could generate up to $1 billion per year in government revenue.
The revenue is needed badly for Lebanon’s ailing economy which is experiencing its worst downturn since the 1975-1990 civil war.
A government team will now study which soil in which regions are most suitable for cannabis farming. The “Cannabis Cultivation Body’, created by the Lebanese government, will oversee planting, harvesting, and manufacturing of cannabis.
According to the United Nations, Lebanon is the third-largest source of cannabis resin worldwide, after Morocco and Afghanistan. Although growing the cannabis crop was illegal, farmers of the Bekaa Valley have been cultivating the plant for centuries.
