Lebanon: Pot farmers injure two soldiers in clash over marijuana crops

Beirut, 3 Aug. (AKI) - Two soldiers were wounded on Friday by a group of armed farmers during their mission to destroy illegal marijuana crops in Beirut, according to al-Arabya news.

It was the second time in two weeks that the farmers of the Bekaa Valley, 30km east of Beirut, had clashed with the security forces as they were crashing their marijuana plants with tractors.

A witness and a security source told al-Arabya that one of the police was shot and the other hit by an anti-personnel mine. Another mine was thrown at their military vehicle, and the tractor which was being used to dig up the marijuana was damaged by bullets.

The Bekaa Valley played a strong part in Lebanon's civil war (1975-1990), producing up to 1,000 tons of cannabis resin, used to make hashish, and 30 to 50 tonnes of opium a year. Now, Lebanon is among the top five country for producing cannabis resin, as shown by a recent US study.

This is not the first nor the last time that security forces who try to destroy marijuana crops will find farmers, for whom the crop is easy to grow and profitable, standing up for themselves.