"Smells like….Barcelona!"
No, it is not about sunscreen or seafood, if you have been to Barcelona you know what it is.
Marijuana.
When you are taking a walk in the center, for example, on Las Ramblas, one of the main streets, you can hear how different suspicious people are whispering in your ears: “Cannabis club, marijuana”. If you feel the smell all around and think that it is 100% legal to smoke weed everywhere, we have some bad news for you. But first things first. Barcelona is a place where you can try weed and learn about marihuana in different ways. Let's start from the most legal one.
In 1987 in Amsterdam the first cannabis museum was opened by the entrepreneur Ben Dronkers. In 2012 Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum was opened in Barcelona. This is the place where you can know about hemp culture, the history of smoking, the hemp lifestyle, and famous artists who liked weed. You can see that it was a big part of people's lives for a long period of time.
The museum also reveals the history of medical use of marijuana and there are over 9,000 items related to this topic. For sure if you are interested in the culture of weed you will be surprised in many aspects. You can see antique hemp tools, learn more about hash making in various cultures, see the collection of pipes from all over the world, different ancient and modern hemp textiles, and much more…This museum was created for all hemp lovers, but of course, in this place you can only know about the hemp but what about the legal status in Barcelona?
If you feel this smell outside on the streets of the city you have to know that it is illegal in Barcelona. This is very important, especially for the tourists: Marijuana can be smoked at home or in cannabis clubs, but for use in public places, you can have a fine of 600 € or more. Yes, you can smoke it at home but it has to be a limited amount comparable to personal needs. The fine, in case, if you have too much weed at home, will be between 600 to 10 400€. Nowadays the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party introduced a bill to legalize medical cannabis in the country. This process may take years and also it seems like it won't change the current situation. This information is more relevant for local people but even if Spain legalizes cannabis for medical purposes, the easiest way to smoke weed still will be in special places, cannabis clubs.
According to Spanish law, cannabis clubs must be closed to the public, so not everyone can go inside. Here is the difference with Amsterdam where weed is absolutely legal and you can have it anywhere. In Barcelona, it is not possible to have a joint just on the way to the beach if you are not a member of the community, but we have good news: it is very easy to join them.
Does the next question have to be how to find them? Because according to the law, signs, and advertising of these clubs are prohibited. You can sometimes notice the signs “social club” at the doors but even if you ring and enter the reception there is no option to go to smoke weed if you are not a member.
Firstly we recommend you never go anywhere with people from the streets. You have to understand that it is illegal and if police enter the club you will have more problems than the owners. The second thing is are you sure you are going to the real club and not just into the building which can be somebody’s property? There will be no guarantee of safety at all, so you can be robbed, be careful. And the third thing if you are going to the “real club” with a person from the street the weed there can be very poor quality because only legal places can guarantee good hemp.
There are 2 ways how to join the club legally and save:
The benefits of this way are obvious:
A social club is a community where people gather to spend time together, with friends or they can work with laptops or watch movies. At some places, you even can enter with a dog. That means that the air conditioning system is in perfect condition. In general it is normal here that you can have non-smoky air even if people are smoking. These places are comfortable, clean, and legal.
It was made like this to let adults enjoy their right to smoke weed but it helps to avoid the promotion of cannabis culture among teenagers and children. At the same time, it makes marijuana accessible and legal for adult consumers from any country: you can have a Spanish residence or be a guest here, it doesn't matter. You need to have your ID and ibe older than 21 years.
Even local people choose to join the community legally by membership in cannabis clubs. This could be an exciting experience with some events, concerts, and high-quality weed. The most important thing is that you will be saved from suspicious and dishonest people on the streets. Barcelona is one of the popular cities for vacation also for the reason of the cannabis status. On the one hand, it is easy to have a membership in an association because, as we said before, it is not a closed community where only members’ friends can apply. Clubs also can make an invitation. On the other hand at the official cannabis club, you will know that you are safe and can have a good time with a high-quality weed.