Cannabis Social Clubs in Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona might no longer be a leading destination for cannabis enthusiasts since the City Council is considering tightening regulations on access to cannabis social clubs.
The concept of cannabis social clubs has drawn numerous locals and tourists to Barcelona over the years, who seek a legal way to consume cannabis rather than supporting the illegal market, especially since adult-use cannabis remains illegal in Spain.
But now, the City Council is exploring ways to legally close cannabis social clubs, according to the Spanish online newspaper elDiario.es.
The City Council, along with the Guàrdia Urbana, the municipal police force for Barcelona, has recently launched a renewed inspection campaign targeting about twenty cannabis social clubs, signaling a shift from their tolerance policy pursued over the years.
During the City Council's plenary session on December 22, Albert Batlle, the deputy mayor for prevention and security, known for his opposition to cannabis, reportedly expressed his team's determination to "eliminate" cannabis associations.
The councilor emphasized that they were increasing inspections to potentially close these establishments but recognized the difficulty of completely eradicating them, hinting that a change of laws might be required to accomplish this goal.
Several cannabis club owners told elDiario.es that the recent inspections differ from previous ones, which primarily focused on the technical aspects of the establishments, and indicate that the current inspections aim to determine whether cannabis use is being permitted or encouraged within these venues.
It's not the first time that cannabis social clubs in Barcelona are under threat of closure.
Since 2014, city authorities attempted to close these clubs. However, they resumed operations under a regulation known as "La Rosa Verda" (The Green Rose), which regulated the operations of cannabis social clubs. However, the Spanish Supreme Court overthrew the legislation in 2021.
As a result, the legal protection for these clubs in the city was removed, but operators of cannabis social clubs continued to operate through a loophole, shifting from the municipal cannabis club license to a broader "private social club" license.
But with the renewed campaign, the city council's unified stance suggests a more threatening push to restrict access to cannabis social clubs or potentially shut them down.
While cannabis remains illegal in Spain, cannabis social clubs operate within a legal gray area, allowing members to cultivate and consume cannabis privately. To access cannabis in cities like Barcelona, both locals and tourists join these clubs through a membership fee for access to cannabis and social spaces.
The cannabis social club system in Spain serves over 4 million users and attracts an annual tourism audience estimated between 6.6 to 12.4 million consumers, as reported by New Frontier Data. Within this framework, the numerous cannabis social clubs, primarily in Barcelona, range in membership from around 3,000 to as many as 50,000 members for the largest ones. However, given the influx of tourists, many club members likely represent only a portion of the total membership, as tourists typically only frequent the same clubs occasionally.
The success of cannabis social clubs in Spain has influenced other European countries aiming to regulate individual cannabis consumption. Malta, the first EU member to legalize cannabis for personal use in December 2021, established access to such social clubs, and Germany, expected to legalize cannabis this year, plans to incorporate the establishment of cannabis social clubs into its legislation.
