Cannabis Farmers In Lebanon Join Fight Against ISIS

In Lebanon, the cannabis farmers have literally been at war with nearby governments for many years, fighting for the right to grow their crops. When government agents come to destroy their cannabis plants, the farmers shoot back at the army, using high powered machine guns, and rocket launchers.

However, for the past few years the army stopped bothering them because they have been distracted with the fight against various Syrian rebel groups, including the infamous ISIS, at they Syrian border.

The cannabis farmers in Lebanon are also concerned about ISIS, especially after videos surfaces of alleged ISIS fighters burning cannabis crops in Syria. Now many of the farmers have joined with their former enemies to fight ISIS on the borders of Syria and Lebanon.

65-year-old farmer Abo Hamoudi recently told SBS.com that him and many others are now fighting ISIS.

“[The military is] distracted with Islamic State and are fighting on the border. And we also fight with the army. In two days my turn to fight will come on the border between here and Syria. We fight them on the border so they don’t come inside here,“

The government in Lebanon is not happy about the farmers being so well armed, but they are not turning down the help. Lebanon’s Chief of Drugs Enforcement, Colonel Chassan Chamseddine said in an interview,

“I think they’re using Islamic State militants as an excuse to justify having weapons but the real reason is to protect their hashish. But of course if there’s any assault from outside of Lebanon into Lebanon they may use their weapons to help the army. But the Lebanese army has the official duty to defend the people,”

The farmers are located in an area very close to the border, where they would be the country’s first line of defense against outside attacks

Watch this video for an inside look into Lebanon’s cannabis farmers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTM6siUyTzQ

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