Reforms for Lebanese drug culture?

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 2 (UPI) -- The hashish trade in Lebanon has been largely tolerated by authorities, but traffickers and growers alike say they are embracing reform.

The Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon has been home to hashish cartels for generations. Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah, which controls most of southern Lebanon, have turned a blind eye to the activity since the end of the Lebanese civil war.

But with the climate in Lebanon moving away from the civil war mentality, growers, traders and politicians are addressing the issue, Emirati newspaper The National reports.

"Hezbollah would ignore the drugs because they understood there was nothing the farmers could afford to grow legally," said Abu Ali, a former trafficker. "But once the families started robbing and shooting people for cars, Hezbollah had to withdraw their protection."

Nawah Zoitar, one of the most notorious traffickers in Lebanon, said that, while he was part of the problem in the past, he wants an end to the drug culture in the south.

He points to government neglect for area farmers and a new culture of amnesty embraced by Hezbollah and its political supporters.

"I am against anything illegal," he said. "I've had enough with this life. I just want amnesty for me and my people."