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| CNN Crew Attacked in Lebanon's World of Cannabis |
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Posted by FoM on June 19, 2001 at 15:10:09 PT Beirut, Lebanon - AFP Source: Associated Press 
A television crew from news giant CNN found itself Tuesday under a hail of gunfire from drug growers in the heart of Lebanon's marijuana plantations, CNN bureau chief in Beirut Brent Sadler told AFP.The British Sadler and his team of German cameraman Christian Streib, Lebanese producer Nada Husseini and their driver were escorted by the owner of a cannabis plantation and his agricultural engineer in the eastern Bekaa valley, the hub of the country's drug trade. However, suddenly, they stumbled into an ambush. "We were filming in the valley 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of Hermel where thousands of hectares (acres) of cannabis crop are cultivated when several warning shots were fired when we were leaving," said Sadler, who has been posted in Lebanon four years. "Several minutes later we were ambushed on a remote mountain road by about 10 gunmen in two cars, armed with assault rifles, pistols and I saw a sniper rifle. They pointed the gun at the driver and fired one shot. No one was shot," he said. "The other gunmen went running down the slope, firing their guns into the air and at the ground. "They forced the CNN crew out of their car at gunpoint and fired dozens of shots at random during the incident," he recalled. They confiscated all of CNN's film equipment, including two cameras, but allowed the crew to keep their personal items. Sadler said, "They were happy to return in one piece" from this "dangerous lawless part of Lebanon" where "very heavily armed group of men (are) operating in an area of concentrated cannabis crop production." Lebanese security services estimate that cannabis in the Bekaa valley is now planted on 35,000 hectares (86,450 acres), which could spread to 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) by harvest time this year. Nonetheless, drug experts say the current drug crop is at one-tenth of the levels reached in 1990, the final year of Lebanon's 15-year civil war. The Lebanese government launched a crackdown on the drug trade in 1992 and received foreign aid from the United Nations for a crop substitution programme. Unfortunately, Lebanon never attracted the financial aid it hoped for to stamp out the drug trade permanently. Sadler estimates Lebanon will make 135 million USD this year from its cannabis trade, adding the crop's "street value ... in Europe is two billion US dollars." Complete Title: CNN Crew Attacked by Drug Bandits in Lebanon's Wild World of Cannabis Newshawk: Nicholas Thimmesch II Related Articles: Green Gold - Guardian, The (UK) Struggling Lebanese Farmers Return To Illegal Crop CannabisNews Articles - Lebanon Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #12 posted by kaptinemo on June 21, 2001 at 06:21:12 PT:
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| Because if those Levantines had wanted that news-crew dead, they would be. People, that area has seen almost continual, grinding, internecine bloodshed for a quarter-century. First the Leb Civil War. Then the Syrian Occupation (which, incidentally, controlled the Bekaa Valley for the longest time, and you can bet your next paycheck with total confidence they damn' well didn't grow just chick-peas there). Then the Israeli Occupation. And God alone knows how many small groups with no allegiances but to themselves running loose and setting up their own little satrapies. The matter became one of the oldest ones in history: The survival of the fittest. Good shots survived to have kids. Who, in turn, had to be good shots, themselves. The only reason those CNN people are alive is because the Levs wanted them to take a message back: you aren't welcome, here. And next time we won't be so lenient. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by Kanabys on June 21, 2001 at 06:15:08 PT |
| >>Unfortunately, Lebanon never attracted the financial aid it hoped for to stamp out the drug trade permanently.<< IMHO, drug usage and trade will NEVER be stamped out permanently because it is the natural state. Prohibition is the manufactured state. It takes enormous energy (money) to keep the wheels of prohibition turning. This is not an unlimited resourse and will someday be depleted. Then the natural state will take over again. It's a simple law of nature. Peace [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by Sudaca on June 20, 2001 at 12:14:12 PT |
| Super Taliban Osama Bin Laden; he's probably meeting with "commissioner" Bush at the Talibatty Cave planning the next religious jihad to create "a drug free - Lebannon" [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by soundof on June 20, 2001 at 10:50:11 PT |
| Yea! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by observer on June 20, 2001 at 07:37:35 PT |
| Unfortunately, Lebanon never attracted the financial aid it hoped for to stamp out the drug trade permanently. Of course not! Government bureaucrat plans to make Lebanon "drug-free" (note: definitely not "free", but "drug-free" instead) just need more money ... if only we had given police more money and power, all would be well. Cannabis abuse would not plague our children, the sun would shine, and birds would sing. Lesson: always give government more, they only here to save the children (and CNN) from "drugs." Unfortunately, Lebanon never attracted the financial aid it hoped for to stamp out the drug trade permanently. What a silly and false statement ... has there ever been one country that ever "stamped out the drug trade permanently"? (Hint: don't say "China" or "Singapore" etc.: they're executing 'dealers' every week -- the organ trade has its requirements, too, you know.) But don't bother drug warriors with little details like that: they won't listen anyway. 'Cause they're out to Saaave th' Childruun! Oh yeah! Facts get in the way. You can only imagine how complimentry the CNN "report" would have been ... juxtaposing pictures of street heroin addicts with Cannabis Fields n Lebanon ... "These violent outlaws," CNN would pontificate, "are poisioning our children!" Their "balance" would run something like this: "Poor Achmed is forced to grow drugS to support his family. The government promised to do more, but hasn't. the solution: Achmed should be jailed, but government needs more money. To help Achmeds' (soon to be starving) children." The CNN reporters could toss a few back in the bar, congratulating one another for the fine, humanistic, report they gave: telling about the ravages of cannabis, and how the government surprise!) needs to "do more" (ie. need more money and power and your traditional rights). All for the children. Now, instead, they can sit back (sans a few CNN cameras) over a few cold ones back in Atlanta, commisurate over the wicked, evil, cannabis growers. And in their report, suggest how government (you guessed it) needs to "do more" to save "the children." [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on June 20, 2001 at 05:11:51 PT |
| Funny... these same news crews would have zero problems getting a nice guided tour of a Kentucky distillery, and their spin would end up being how alcohol is safer than "drugs". Don't blame CNN, though, they've had some quality cannabis coverage. If this was a Nightline crew, I'd hope the growers would have better aim... [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #6 posted by Dan B on June 19, 2001 at 21:00:56 PT:
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| "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins." -- H.L. Mencken, 1923 . . . and now you know the rest of the quotation! But seriously, folks--Wow! Hey, I've heard of American police shooting and killing innocent civilians in their own homes in their ongoing missions "to protect and serve," but Lebanese cannabis farmers shooting at and missing a CNN crew? Now that's intolerable. For goodness sake! Where did those guys learn to aim? Next time, Lebanese pot growers, point first, then shoot. Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by lookinside on June 19, 2001 at 18:00:14 PT:
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| the growers' restraint...in their position i would have used those folks(CNN) for organic(hopefully) fertilizer...they are there to stir trouble for those folks... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by j#n on June 19, 2001 at 17:35:55 PT |
| ...how many busts have gone MISERABLY wrong and innocent people, unlike these CNN "people" who add to the Prohibitive Nature of Cannabis/Hemp with their spun OUT "journalism", have been SLAYED in the middle of the night---WRONG HOUSE..."POW POW bang",said the Police Bandits' MIGHTY pistols. "You're daughter was HOW old?" "Oh! It was a boi?", "I hope $5000 can cover "THE GREAT US MISTAKE!!!" HOW F@#CKING D E R A N G E D!!!! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by MikeEEEEE on June 19, 2001 at 17:17:35 PT |
| As long as cannabis is illegal these people will shoot first and ask questions later. [Unfortunately, Lebanon never attracted the financial aid it hoped for to stamp out the drug trade permanently.] Maybe the Lebanise should say what the Colombians say, "Hey Yankee Gringos, send more money!" [Complete Title: CNN Crew Attacked by Drug Bandits in Lebanon's Wild World of Cannabis] How about this for a title: Yankee news media from CNN, from prohibitionist country US, attacked by gardeners in Lebanon protecting profits of green Cannabis fields. [Sadler said, "They were happy to return in one piece" from this "dangerous lawless part of Lebanon" where "very heavily armed group of men (are) operating in an area of concentrated cannabis crop production."] Lets get something straight here: These guys were let go by the growers, they could shot them if they wanted. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by Pontifex on June 19, 2001 at 16:31:11 PT:
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| Dave, I think that's the very reason cannabis is illegal -- to create a black market, huge profits and criminals. Politics is the art of creating imaginary bogeymen, and (H. L. Mencken put it better than that but I can't place his And besides, certain easily identified groups are The War on Drugs will stop when we stop letting [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Dave in Florida on June 19, 2001 at 15:22:58 PT |
| Sadler estimates Lebanon will make 135 million USD this year from its cannabis trade, adding the crop's "street value ... in Europe is two billion US dollars." When will the governments of the world do like Mexicos, Vincete Fox, suggests and make it legal world wide. If the countries of the world would do that, the value would not be there and it would become like corn, no black market, huge profits and criminals. Just peace... [ Post Comment ] |
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