With so much confusion surrounding the legalities of what enables weed clubs in Barcelona to operate, it can be harmful to the cannabis clubs and their future existence if you don’t have the knowledge, and do things the wrong way. Here we break it down for you so that you can understand why and how the clubs exist in Spain, and how to join a cannabis club in Barcelona the right way.
Are Cannabis Clubs Legal in Barcelona?
Cannabis Clubs are not fully legal in Spain – yet! They operate by using a combination of the Spanish constitution and the newer existing by-laws. Please read our article on the history of cannabis Clubs in Spain. Basically the courts have made many historic rulings finding nothing illegal about consuming cannabis in private cannabis clubs, but the government in Madrid are keeping tight lipped on the situation. Although Madrid has stated that they are simply waiting and watching very carefully before making a decision, I feel we are getting close, but I wouldn’t expect anything to happen in the next 5 years. They say they don’t have enough information, so they will allow the clubs to exist as they are in order to study cannabis and it’s effects. But have no doubt, it is still an ongoing revolution to fight for our rights for the safe consumption of cannabis.
Is it legal to Smoke Weed in Barcelona
Is it Legal to Possess cannabis in Barcelona
Yes, and no… it´s legal to consume only in Private, not in Public. Cannabis is essentially de-criminalised, which means you can’t get a criminal record for personal possession, if you are found to have 5 grams or less in public, you will receive a fine of 200€ or more, but no criminal record, any more than 5 grams in public may be considered as “you are a supplying” and you may be detained for further questioning down the police station.. but if you were found to have cannabis in a private setting, this is legal, so maybe at your family or friends apartment, or your own room or apartment – there is 1 catch in the law – “it must not affect your neighbours way of life” if your neighbour complains and the police are called you will be told to stop smoking for your neighbour, nothing more, they will leave the herb with you, but if you are in a hotel it’s possible you will be asked to leave. Although in Barcelona this is rare, and if there is a complaint there is always a warning or 2 before the police are called.
What is a Cannabis Club?
Ok so… it’s legal to consume cannabis in a private setting, but even in your apartment this can be difficult. So what do you do? You make a private cannabis club, somewhere “out the way” where no one will be affected, so that your friends and family can come together and collectively grow their own weed just for themselves.
In the beginning it was very different, cannabis clubs made their own rules and regulations in order to stay legal, extraction fans and filters as to not disturb the neighbors, very basic furniture, homemade generally. But what makes it legal still today is the fact that they are not open to the public, only friends and family, and if your friends are cool you can invite them to come too, but we’re all very close friends and family and not open to the public. If a stranger were to try to access he would be rejected and told it’s a private members only association and you must be invited. This is what makes a cannabis social club legal. But that’s just the half of it.
How does a Cannabis Club in Barcelona Operate?
Ok… It’s legal to grow cannabis plants in your private – wherever. It’s also legal to give it away for free, so if I grow some herb and you would like some, provided you are a consumer (because it is forbidden by law to encourage the consumption of cannabis, so you have to be a regular consumer) and of legal age (18+) I could take you to my apartment and give you some, provided it’s free and I don’t charge you anything for it, it’s legal.
The legal term for an association is a “non for profit organisation” ok.
As we’ve mentioned it’s legal to grow and distribute cannabis in Spain for free. So the other half of what makes weed clubs legal is we grow and distribute amongst our “members of family and friends” for free, because what we grow amongst ourselves assures us the safety from the “unknown” black-market cannabis. The fight for the safe consumption of cannabis.
But the rent on the premises and the electricity bill… etc, must be paid, so traditionally family members and friends all contributed happily to the upkeep of the premises, be it a small apartment, or a big commercial building, the cleaning was done by the members themselves, clean up after themselves and take turns to clean the toilet etc, but of-course the real responsibility fell on the founding members of the club, in Spain you need 3 founding members to create a cannabis association. It’s their creation so they are keen to crack the whip on family members and friends.
How to Join a Cannabis Club in Barcelona
How to Become a Member of a Cannabis Club in Barcelona?
This is where we make life easy for you, dedicated to Barcelona you can simply find and connect with cannabis clubs near you. Simply choose a club and read the details carefully and follow the instructions within, normally the clubs want you to make an appointment for when you want to go, await approval which normally takes 5-10 mins, once you have your “Approved” email you may go to the club invited… Un-invited guests are not welcome, every single person must have an appointment booked and approved. We do our best to keep all the details up to date on this website. However if you find something is not working, maybe the telephone number is incorrect, please press the “report” button on the clubs page and let us know, we will then visit the club to update our website.
With us, we are residents of Barcelona. All cannabis clubs and listings on our website have been inspected by ourselves, we check paperwork and licenses are in order, we inspect the club itself for health and safety, and regularly visit using secret shoppers to make sure nothing fishy is going on, after all we love fish in Spain, lol. However we all rely on feed back from yourselves, be sure to read the reviews… and also to leave your review to help others as it helped you – to get a clear picture of the cannabis club / grow shop / head shop you would like to visit. This is a community website… your help is greatly appreciated – With the clubs | For the community
