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Lebanon: U.N. Agency Says Lebanon Important Producer of Cannabis
Naharnet News
Tuesday 27 Jun 2006 U.N. Agency Says Lebanon Important Producer of Cannabis but Notes Government Efforts A United Nations report has described Lebanon as an "important producer" of cannabis herb but it praised the government's efforts in combating the cultivation of the hallucinogenic plant. The 2006 World Drug Report released by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna said cannabis production is on the rise is Africa and Asia. It said the Near and Middle East regions as well as South West Asia are the world's second largest market for the cannabis resin. The supplies come mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan and "to a lesser degree" from Lebanon. However, the organization noted the Lebanese government's eradication efforts which it said have led to a significant drop in the cultivation of cannabis herb. "Lebanon was once the world's leading resin supplier and might be still if it were not for continual eradication efforts," the report said. In the late 1980s, cannabis cultivation was estimated to be as high as 11,000 to 16,000 hectares, yielding up to 1,000 tons of cannabis resin, the report said. But with eradication efforts after the end of the civil war, cultivation dropped significantly, it added. Lebanese authorities assert that 98.8% of the cannabis resin produced in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley is used in the country and a small share is exported to Bulgaria and Dubai, according to the U.N. agency. However, Syria says that 100 percent of the cannabis resin trafficked in its territory comes from Lebanon and denies that there is any local production, the report said. Turkish authorities also say 50 percent of the resin sold in the country originates from Lebanon, it added. Cannabis, or marijuana, the world's most widely used drug, has seen a steady increase in consumption over the past decade and this rise in use is continuing. The report said that of the 200 million people or five percent of the world's population aged 15-64 who use drugs at least once a year, 162 million use cannabis, 2004 figures show. http://www.naharnet.com/
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