Lebanese Army once again destroys cannabis plants in Baalbeck region

BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army announced Thursday that it had destroyed cannabis plants in the locality of Hour Taala, east of Baalbeck near the Syrian border, according to a statement noting its intelligence service participated in the operation.

"As part of the fight against drug trafficking, an army unit, supported by a patrol from the Directorate of Intelligence, destroyed a large quantity of hashish and dismantled agricultural tents intended for it at Hour Taala — Baalbeck," the army wrote on its website Thursday.

Similar destruction of cannabis fields has been carried out by the army in recent weeks, as well as the dismantling of laboratories used to synthesize Captagon, a synthetic drug. The possession and consumption of cannabis is illegal in Lebanon.

Most cannabis fields are located in the fertile Bekaa Valley, and the government is working on a plan for medical cannabis production.

In 2020, amid economic collapse, Parliament approved a bill legalizing cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes. Under this law, only the state is permitted to be involved in the production and trade of cannabis, which has been illicitly cultivated for decades in the Bekaa.

Current production is mainly managed by Shiite clans from this region. Before the law was passed, Lebanon hired international consultancy McKinsey & Co. in 2018 for economic advice. McKinsey suggested legalizing the plant's cultivation and production — widely available in the country — at least for certain uses.

Lebanon is informally known abroad for producing high-quality recreational cannabis. The cultivation of medical cannabis differs from recreational cannabis by a number of standards — varieties selected for high CBD (cannabidiol) and low THC (psychoactive substance) content, traceability, and limited pesticide use.