Lebanon plans to legalize cannabis cultivation: official



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BEIRUT: Lebanese parliament plans to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes, said Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday in an attempt to relaunch the troubled economy

"The Lebanese Parliament is preparing to study and adopt It is necessary to legislate on the cultivation of cannabis and its manufacture for medical purposes in the manner of many European countries and some American states, "said the office of Berri, noting the comments made during a meeting with the US ambassador to Beirut. Although the cultivation of this plant is illegal in Lebanon, powerful landowners have nevertheless cultivated for decades cannabis fields in the fertile Bekaa Valley, spared by the forces of order and their attempts to crack down.

in a 2018 report, third-largest source of cannabis resin seized by national authorities after Morocco and Afghanistan. [19659002] Lebanon has been experiencing weak growth since 2011, hit by regional unrest. The IMF has estimated growth rates of 1-1.5 percent in 2017 and 2018, saying that traditional engines of the economy – construction and real estate – remain moderate.

The IMF also called for an immediate and substantial fiscal adjustment to improve the sustainability of the public debt, which accounted for more than 150% of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2017.

To help transform the economy, Lebanon hired McKinsey consulting firm this year

One of the options explored by the report was that Lebanon legalizes the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes, Reuters told a government source. The report has not yet been made public and is awaiting government approval

(Reportage by Lisa Barrington, edited by Richard Balmforth)

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