Weedist Destinations: Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona Cannabis

Spain is rapidly becoming the most cannabis friendly place in Europe, especially with the conservative government passing the unfriendly tourist laws in the Netherlands. If you can live abroad for a period of time, Spain and specifically the Barcelona cannabis experience should be on your Weedist bucket list.

Why? While it is illegal in Spain to traffic cannabis or to smoke it in public places, it is legal in Spain to cultivate or smoke cannabis for your own personal use (as long as it is in the “privacy” of your own home).  The Spanish law says that personal behavior in a private place (and this includes private land and outbuildings) is protected by the constitution. According to Drugpolicy.org, Spain was one of the first modern European countries to decriminalize marijuana. They also note that Spanish laws against trafficking are “among the most severe in Europe.”

Barcelona Cannabis in Practice

Spanish citizens are allowed to grow 2 cannabis plants for their own consumption. Not everyone interested in smoking cannabis is also interested in actually growing cannabis plants, so some enterprising Spaniards have created the cannabis cafe business model. You can join a cannabis cafe for about 20 Euro per year and the cannabis cafe grows your plants for you. Once you join a cafe, you stop by regularly to get your marijuana yield for a reasonable price. At scale this business makes a lot of sense, not only do you not have to wait many weeks for your marijuana, but you also get strain variety that growing only 2 cannabis plants would not provide. One of these clubs has recently looked to lease 17 acres of land (70,000 square meters) to grow cannabis for their 5,000 members, making it the biggest cannabis farm in Europe. The general emotion about cannabis in Spain is so relaxed that  one small village outside Barcelona recently attempted to pass a referendum to grow marijuana to pay off their crushing debt. Unfortunately, the majority of voters approved the referendum, but the vote did not reach the 75% required to pass.

What if I’m Only in Barcelona for a Short Time?

If you are not planning on staying Barcelona for the long haul, you can typically find a dealer near the Ramblas, as well as Plaça Reial and Carrer Escudullers. The word on the street is that the hash is typically better than weed (given how close you are to Morocco, no surprise there). According to the 1st Marijuana Growers Page:

“If you are looking to score, walk down Ramblas you will pass 2 or 3 metro stops when you get to the one I am talking about you will see all the African guys standing around… Make eye contact and lift your eyebrows…  Many will take you down to the metro and make the transaction inside while going up the other escalator… Sounds sketchy but actually works well, be quick… To find hash ask any of the Arab looking guys selling beers on Ramblas or down near the waterfront… Actually the waterfront never worked for me but right at the beginning of Ramblas is a good spot for hash.”

What If You Get Caught in Barcelona with Cannabis?

Drug use and possession for personal use do not constitute a criminal offense under Spanish law (crimes must have victims in Spain, quite a concept to our US readers!). However, public consumption is penalized with administrative fines. Public possession of less than two ounces of cannabis is not a criminal offense, although heavy administrative fines can be levied. Possession of more than two ounces, growing for sale, or selling are considered criminal offenses, but prison terms are not as severe as those levied in the US.

One other point of interest if you have some time to kill, you can check out The Hash Marihuana Cáñamo & Hemp Museum (located at: Carrer Ample 35), the sister museum to The Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum, located in Amsterdam.

What have your personal experiences been with cannabis in Barcelona? Or greater Spain? Please share them with us. 

Check out other posts from our Weedist Destinations series!

References

• http://www.retoxmagazine.com/barcelona-the-new-amsterdam.html
• http://www.1stmarijuanagrowerspage.com/marijuana-travel-database/spain/barcelona.html
• http://gospain.about.com/od/drugsinspain/f/is_cannabis_legal_in_spain.htm
• http://www.dutch-passion.nl/en/news-and-development/barcelona-cannabis-club-plans-legal/
• http://news.yahoo.com/spain-town-nixes-pot-growing-plan-pay-off-214614960.html
• http://hempmuseumgallery.com/about-the-museum/visitor-information-for-the-hemp-museum-gallery