Lebanese Parliament May Legalize Growing Pot.
WARD: To Lebanon now where a change in climate has devastated traditional agriculture. Some farmers have moved on to a drought resistant crop, marijuana. As our Ben Wedeman reports, the government may soon make pot cultivation legal.</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The carpet of cannabis sprawls across Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. A forbidden crop, but perhaps not much longer. The government is considering legalizing marijuana cultivation for medicinal purposes. Music to the ears of this farmer, who asked that we not reveal his identity. If only the government knew its value, he says. It's like another petroleum. He shows us around the fields singing the praises of a plant farmers have grown in this red soil for generations. This is not a drug, I tell you, 1,000, 1,500 times, he says, cocaine, heroin, those are drugs. This is the herb of happiness. My friend says when he smokes a joint, his wife becomes a princess. The world shines. Life is beautiful. Other crops like tobacco and potatoes are increasingly difficult to grow as the climate here becomes drier. Under these difficult conditions, weed works. Lebanon has been struggling through a prolonged financial crisis. And export of the country's famed cannabis, better known here as hashish, could lift the struggling economy. Fact is, hashish is the most logical crop to grow in this area. It requires very little in the way of inputs like water and fertilizer. And they don't use any pesticides. And as the farmers will tell you, the profits are fairly high. While some conservative elements oppose any form of legalization, Lebanese officials are suddenly proud of their pot.</s>RAED KHOURY, LEBANESE ECONOMY AND TRADE MINISTER: Many, many specialists, they have studied the quality of this cannabis and they say that it's one of the best in the world.</s>WEDEMAN: Economy and trade minister, Raed Khoury is blunt about the benefits for a country deeply in debt.</s>KHOURY: It can provide around $400 million to $800 million of revenues to the country.</s>WEDEMAN: As a solution to financial woes, Lebanese grass may be greener, yet activists, Gino Raidy, is concerned that the country's many recreational users won't benefit from the buzz.</s>GINO RAIDY, ACTIVIST: So the word is now is that if they legalize it for export, for medicinal purposes, it will remain the same status in the criminal justice in Lebanon. Which means the things the government might be making a lot of money off of is still illegal for locals and they still get in trouble for it.</s>WEDEMAN: But for many others, these buds smell like money. Ben Wedeman, CNN, in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon.</s>WARD: And from getting high to hitting the high notes, sports lovers in Ireland had plenty of reasons to sing over the past few days after the women's hockey team made it to the World Cup finals. They didn't win, but for many, just getting that far felt like Christmas had come early.</s>CROWD: More than you could ever know, make my wish come true, baby all --</s>WARD: That's right. All I want for Christmas is you. And yes, we are fully aware that it is August and that parts of Europe have been in the grips of a major heat wave, but when it comes to World Cups and Mariah Carey, ordinary rules simply don't apply, especially when the legendary diva gives her seal of approval tweeting that is amazing. Along with several appropriate emojis. Fun fact, it took Mariah Carey just 15 minutes to write "All I Want For Christmas Is You." It was clearly time well spent. The song charts every holiday season is one of the best-selling singles of all-time. As one Twitter user put it, "Mariah Carey can sip champagne, do her nails and lie down in her chaise lounge all day every day and still get millions every December from a song she recorded 22 -- 23 years ago. A legend." Well that's it for us tonight. Thank you so much for watching. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next. END