Medical marijuana for Lebanon? More complicated than it sounds…
It’s an enticing prospect, but breaking into this growing and lucrative market could be more difficult than it seems
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Medical marijuana exports could generate $1 billion per year in revenue for the Lebanese state, according to outgoing Economy Minister Raed Khoury. Two rival legalization bills were introduced to parliament in July and September, one by Antoine Habchi, Lebanese Forces MP for Baalkbeck-Hermel, and the other by Speaker of the Parliament and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berry. Both bills aim to legalize the growing of marijuana for medicinal, industrial and research purposes, but they take two different approaches. The bill introduced by Habchi proposes putting pharmaceutical companies into direct contact with producers in Lebanon while Berry’s bill calls for the creation of a state controlled entity, similar to the La Régie libanaise des tabacs & tombacs, to manage the industry.
