Raëd Khoury suggests the creation of a "control" of cannabis – Kenza OUAZZANI

Lebanon could legalize hashish cultivation and its use for medicinal purposes. The outgoing Minister of Economy and Trade, Raëd Khoury, confirmed yesterday in an interview with "L'Orient-Le Jour" that it is indeed one of the proposals issued by the international consulting firm McKinsey in its plan to diversify the Lebanese economy. McKinsey was commissioned earlier this year to conduct a study on the country's economic situation and propose a comprehensive recovery strategy.

Why now?
The McKinsey plan, commissioned by the Lebanese government at the beginning of the year, proposes recommendations for the development of the productive sectors and the strengthening of the country's export potential. It is one of the four pillars of the Government's Vision for Stabilization, Growth and Jobs at the Economic Conference for Development through Reforms and Business (Cedre) on April 6 last in Paris. "Cannabis can be an important resource for Lebanon if we develop an industrial sector to extract its oil. Cannabis oil is used in the production of drugs, frequently prescribed abroad for infectious diseases. We must therefore take advantage and legalize the cultivation of this plant, "says Raëd Khoury.

What does McKinsey propose?
The Minister of the Economy states that the McKinsey plan includes "a clear development strategy on: how to build this agricultural sector; how to determine standards and safeguards; who will be allowed to buy this commodity from farmers, how will licenses be awarded … ". Raëd Khoury, however, refuses to give details before the future government approves the McKinsey plan in the Council of Ministers.

How would this sector be managed?
"There will certainly be an establishment, similar to the model of the Lebanese Tobacco and Tombac Board, which will be responsible for the regulation and management of this sector," says Khoury, before stressing that this point has not yet been decided.

What potential for Lebanon?
"This is a sector that will represent hundreds of millions of dollars," says the Minister of Economy. "It will also allow the population of the Bekaa region to live in better conditions. It is a region that is suffering today from a lot of economic problems, "he notes. Cannabis is indeed widely grown in the Bekaa plain. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Lebanon is the third largest exporter of cannabis resin in the world. Thus, the equivalent of some $ 200 million worth of cannabis would be exported annually to the Gulf countries, Europe, Africa and North America. Mr. Khoury does not confirm these figures. During the 1990s, Lebanon, supported by the United Nations, adopted a plan to eradicate cannabis cultivation based on a program of alternative plants for farmers in the Bekaa. But this plan never succeeded.

Would an amnesty for current illegal producers be considered?
The Minister explains at first that "this security issue has not yet been addressed", before considering that it will depend on the nature of the offenses committed. "If there are legal problems with particular people, we will have to see what the solutions are for them. But it will also depend on (their) nature. If the State decides to undertake to develop this sector legally, this does not mean that there will be an amnesty for illegal actions committed in the past: whether domestic or international trade or consumption for recreational use. It will be decided at the right time, "he says (see page 3).
For his part, the outgoing Minister of Agriculture, Ghazi Zeaïter, in an interview with the pan-Arab daily Acharq el Awsat released yesterday, that the legalization of hashish for medicinal use in Lebanon would free small farmers from the grip of drug barons. Assuring the newspaper that "the legalization of hashish must be accompanied by severe penalties for the trafficking and consumption of this drug outside the medicinal use", Ghazi Zeaïter believes that "the control (cultivation of hashish for medicinal use ) is not difficult. The outgoing minister points out that "not more than 5% of Baalbeck's inhabitants cultivate hashish, and they were exploited most of the time by the big traffickers". He believes that the legalization of hashish "will guarantee the rights of these farmers and free them from traffickers."

Is there a political consensus on this legalization?
The Minister of the Economy is confident that there is a political consensus in the country on the legalization of hashish cultivation and its use for medicinal purposes. "Political groups have welcomed this proposal. Walid Jumblatt (PSP) has publicly supported it. The Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berry (Amal), requested that work on the legislation governing this sector start. This is a file that has not yet been submitted to the Council of Ministers. But we need this legislation, whether the initiative comes from Parliament or the government, "he says.

In Focus

legalization of cannabis for medicinal use, a controversial idea

Claude ASSAF