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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Lebanon: Destruction of cannabis fields halted in Hermel Rakan al-Fakih Lebanon Daily Star Wednesday 01 Aug 2012 The plan was put on hold after bulldozer owners in the region refused to rent their machinery to the police out of fear they would be targeted by the drug cultivators. In the early hours of Tuesday morning a large number of ISF units headed to Hermel, accompanied by the Central Office of Drug Control, and waited for the bulldozers to arrive so they could commence the operation. The Lebanese Army accompanied the ISF units Tuesday, but they were surprised by the latter's inability to secure the necessary bulldozers. The aborted operation comes more than a month before harvesting season in September. Many of the bulldozer owners told the ISF they feared losing their vehicles if they cooperated with the police, as evidenced by what took place on the outskirts of Baalbek last week. During a similar crackdown last week in Boudai, fighting ensued between the ISF and locals, leaving one policeman lightly hurt and two police vehicles damaged. Armed men also smashed tractors as their drivers returned from the action in Boudai. The National News Agency said 15 tractors were attacked in Ain al-Sawda, and the drivers said their attackers warned them against taking part in the crackdown. In Hermel Tuesday the forces on the ground decided to delay the operation to avoid confrontations between prominent families in the area. A security source told The Daily Star the operation would be postponed for two days, allowing sufficient time to secure bulldozers from elsewhere. The source also said that only two bulldozers were secured Tuesday morning, a number far from what is needed to eradicate the cannabis crop. Farmers and their relatives in the region have reacted strongly to the ISF's cannabis eradication campaign. Last week they blocked roads in the Sharawneh and Tel Abyad neighborhoods of Baalbek and in Boudai with burning tires, accusing Col. Adel Mashmoushi, head of the CODC, and the Cabinet of depriving them of their main source of income. The farmers argue that the area has been poor and marginalized for decades, and attempts to offer substitute crops for cannabis have not been sufficient. Cannabis has long flourished in the fertile Bekaa Valley. Although the government banned the plant in 1992 and began annual campaigns to destroy it, farmers continue to grow the crop. Campaigns to encourage farmers to switch to other crops such as sunflowers, saffron and tobacco have been unsuccessful, as the crops proved either unsuited to the local environs or not as profitable as cannabis. A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on August 01, 2012, on page 4. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Aug-01/182921-destruction-of-cannabis-fields-halted-in-hermel.ashx#axzz22I9W9SzN
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