Lebanon’s economy is going to pot — in a good way, it hopes
Hezbollah is against hash; it was one of the few groups to object to legalization
Sunday, September 29, 2020
Lebanon is scrabbling to escape an existential, multilayered crisis that has gutted the currrency to less than a quarter of its previous value, brought the specter of shortages to a place renowned for its excess and spurred a full-scale rejection of the country’s ruling order. Lebanon is broke. It produces very little, relying on imports for almost everything, and dollars are scarce. In its desperate drive for foreign currency, it’s trying to develop homegrown industries, including taking advantage of what is its most famous export: Lebanese hash. The country is responsible for 6% of the global cannabis supply, making it the world’s third-largest exporter of the stuff, according to a report last year by the U.N.’s Office on Drugs and Crime — this, despite the fact that cannabis had until recently been illegal.
