Hashish in Morocco and Lebanon Similarities between Morocco

Hashish in Morocco and Lebanon

Similarities between Morocco and Lebanon in terms of Hashish Morocco and Lebanon became major producers of hashish in many market around Europe, Africa, and the Middle East Farmers became specialized in farming Increased production Increased potency Exporting was a HUGE part of profits

Similarities in Morocco and Lebanon Cont. Marginalized areas of production Repressive legislation Huge international demand Global prohibition Backlash from government Perfect Climate Hot, dry days and humid nights, with no rain during the cannabis plant's flowering and fruiting season

Differences between the countries hash market Morocco (Rif) Lebanon (Beqaa) Stability in region Instability in region traditional market in Morocco absence of local market for hashish Significant domestic market cannabis cultivation was tolerated repression against cannabis cultivation Farmers used intensive farming Farmers used extensive farming Fertilizer, insecticides used Large irrigation systems to produce mass quantity of product Use little insecticide Very few use fertilizer Large-scale production became popular Less production; Higher price High production; Lower price Higher quality

Current Trends Morocco's cannabis cultivation fell from an estimated high of 134, 000 ha in 2003, to 47, 500 ha in 2011, or a 65% decrease (Chouvy and Afsahi, 2014, UNODC, 2003 and UNODC, 2013). Market looks to trend upwards Lebanon In 2004 and 2005, the area given over to cannabis cultivation was estimated at 3275 ha and 6150 ha respectively But almost all of these crops were then destroyed in eradication campaigns, and production was negligible (In 2004, 87% of the cultivated areas were destroyed, and in 2005, that number reached 97% based on data provided by the Lebanese security services). Today there are no official sources in Lebanon. Production is believed to have increased significantly in past years, as producers take advantage of political instability in the region. The Syrian Civil War made closed the drug routes to Jordan and Turkey and the major production is sent to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and East European countries. The global prohibition of cannabis and the global sustained demand have created opportunities for poor farmers in the Rif and the Beqaa regions to survive and get wealthy.

Conclusion Lebanon has always been a producer of hashish and cannabis for export but production is dropping Production has fallen off the grid due to political instability and war. Morocco is taking advantages of the lowered production in Lebanon and is capturing the market in Europe. Morocco production increased since the introduction of hybrids. Lebanon stays relevant because of its high quality which comes with a higher price.