Nevertheless, large amounts of cannabis are grown illegally within the country, especially in the Bekka Valley, and consumed for personal use in private.

[6] Later on, cannabis farms flourished during the Syrian civil war starting from 2011, as the government was more concerned about security issues.

[7][8] In 2018, the Parliament speaker Nabih Berri stated, "The Lebanese Parliament is preparing to study and adopt the legislation necessary to legislate the cultivation of cannabis and its manufacture for medical uses in the manner of many European countries and some US states",[9] as he told US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard according to Lebanon's official news agency.

With the world's third highest debt, proponents for legalization argued that fostering the marijuana industry could help to reform the country's economy.

[8] Some growers that oppose the reform, such as Abu Jafaar of the Bekka Valley (Lebanon's most well known growing area), feared that government intervention will take revenue away from them and into the hands of politicians.