The Lebanese Parliament passed a set of laws during the legislative session it held last week. In details, the parliament ratified the anti-corruption law which calls for the establishment of a national committee to fight corruption. The law specifies the committee’s duties, functions and legislative powers, entitling the committee to tackle corruption cases without obtaining any special permissions. The law further specified that prosecutions against concerned persons would not drop in the event the person resigns/retires.

In addition, the parliament enacted a law that legalizes the production of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes. The law will regulate cannabis production, calling for the establishment of a regulatory authority that will be overseeing its enforcement in addition to issuing permits for the cultivation, transportation, production, storage, selling and distribution of the cannabis plant. Only permit holders will be able to work under this new law. The law aims to create an agro-industry in Lebanon in an endeavor to boost its teetering economy. In this regard, it is worth highlighting that a study by the international consulting firm Mckinsey & Co. estimated the country’s production value from cannabis at around $4 billion.