You heard right – coffee shops are an increasing staple of a really good Barcelona itinerary.
This begs the question: can you get legal weed in Barcelona?
The answer is a fitting… well, like, kind of, man.
Though it’s a bit of a judicial jerk around there’s no reason you shouldn’t be safe – but don’t get the munchies and go wandering for a kebab just yet!
You need to inform yourself first or you could end up in hot water.
Here’s how to stay out of trouble.
The Skinny on Legal Weed in Barcelona
The Law in Spain
In Barcelona cannabis clubs are more tolerated than in any other European country I’ve visited. Here are the facts:
- Cultivation is legal for personal consumption (as long as plants aren’t publicly visible)
- Transport is decriminalized
- Consumption is legal in private
- Public purchase, consumption, or possession is a misdemeanor punishable by fine
OK yeah, but is weed legal in Barcelona?
There is a massive confusion about Barcelona coffee shops due to gray areas about personal use, what constitutes public/private – but in the end what can be said is an exploitable legal vacuum has been created opening the doors to over 200 Barcelona cannabis clubs.
I can’t stress this enough though – weed consumption is only allowed in private. For this reason many Barcelonians seem to be affected by agoraphobia 🙂
If you pick up, your little package should be treated like it would be in any other city. The police won’t hesitate to make it into an issue if you’re careless.
How do Barcelona Cannabis Clubs Work?
By becoming a member of a Barcelona cannabis club you give up your growing rights to the association.
In other words, the club is in charge of growing your plants for you, your personal consumption as granted by Spanish law. This is defined as two plants per individual. All you have to do is go pick up your part of the harvest.
Are Barcelona Cannabis Clubs Legal or Not?
Coffee shops in Barcelona are a recent phenomenon and it’s not easy to state whether the law permits them or not.
What we do know is that one of the first clubs was forced to close but eventually managed to win in court and get itself back in business. Since then the number of cannabis associations has increased dramatically.
Cannabis clubs are exclusively non-profit organizations and they regularly pay their taxes. Most provide legal assistance to members getting in trouble with the police while ‘carrying home the harvest’.
Though the legality of the cannabis clubs themselves is up for debate, the odds of any one member getting into serious legal trouble are slim to none.
Barcelona Cannabis Club Prerequisites
- You must be 18 years of age (21 in some clubs)
- Have a valid EU passport/identity card
- Cash for membership fees
- An invitation from an existing member (this can be easily worked around, read on)
Getting in the Front Door at Barcelona Cannabis Clubs
As a general rule you won’t be able to get into a Barcelona weed cafe just by showing up.
A current member of the association has to ‘invite’ you to be part of the club and be your sponsor. The founder of any given association also has the power to grant membership. Befriend one of these guys and you’re in!
Subscription generally requires payment of a 10 to 20 euro annual fee. Then you’re granted the right to pick up a given amount of harvest on a daily basis. This amount varies depending on your ‘consumption declaration’ at sign up.
Every club grows different varieties of weed (starting from €6/gr.) and some even offer hashish. These plants are generally grown outdoors in authorized fields but it’s also common to find clubs that grow their plants indoors. Either way, the quality is high and miles above the oregano sold on La Rambla.
It is definitely the best weed in Barcelona.
WARNING: Some clubs have a 14 day hold on purchase which won’t do you any good on holiday. Ask first.
Weed in Barcelona – Cannabis Club Options
You never know what to expect when entering a cannabis club for the first time. It may be just one room or spread out over three floors. It could be immaculately decorated or totally rundown.
Some let you hang out, some send you straight home. Some serve alcohol, have bean bag chairs, Playstation 4’s and free tapa munchies.
There have been rumours of more ‘adventurous’ clubs offering memberships to tourists after as much as a brief Facebook message. Try and reach some clubs via social media and I’m sure you’ll have your in.
Dragon Cannabis club promises membership simply for following them on Facebook.
Did you end up getting in!? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook for more Barcelona advice!
-
March 31, 2021 at 6:25 amSo, as a foreign, can't I get some weed at the club and transport it to my apartment?
-
April 4, 2021 at 8:57 pmHi Dan, The clubs will go over the legalities of everything when you sign up... basically, it's not technically legal to be smoking it or transporting it but as long as you're not drawing attention to yourself and bring it to private property, you can do whatever you want once you arrive home! Also, the cops generally do not care as long as you've only got enough for personal use. Cheers,
-
-
August 29, 2020 at 10:43 amDue to come to Barcelona and was wondering how we would be able to get into one of the weed cafes ?
-
September 1, 2020 at 2:52 amHi Lea, Best bet is to contact the cafes via social media and ask how they do it :) Cheers, Ash
-
-
November 5, 2019 at 11:35 pmWhere to buy
-
November 8, 2019 at 1:46 amIf you need help finding quality weed and other stuffs then hit me up.
-
November 8, 2019 at 10:53 amSure bro ;)
-
-
November 6, 2019 at 10:39 amDid you read the article? :P
-
-
November 27, 2018 at 12:54 pmDear Mr. Herb Hope this comment finds you well!! I am from Middleast (Saudi Arabia) and I don’t have EU ID, is it possible to be a club member? What are the loopholes in the Law system that allows met to get the membership through? Thank you
-
November 27, 2018 at 3:52 pmHi Abu, I don't have much info on specific clubs because all of them are different, but if you want to be in touch with an expert who knows the rules I would send a message to Weedadvisor via Instagram and they'll sort you out! Ash
-
November 27, 2018 at 9:23 pmYes, please send me their account as there more than 10 accounts s in Instigram and none of them is the real weed advisor. Or let them contact me directly via my email. Thanks again for your time
-
November 28, 2018 at 9:33 amHello Abu, I can't find the Instagram account off hand but you should be able to contact them via the website here: http://weedadvisor.nl/ Thanks, Ash
-
-
November 27, 2018 at 9:10 pmThank you sir
-
-
-
June 20, 2018 at 4:21 amSo, do you recommend against buying the baked goods offered in Ciutadella Park?
-
June 20, 2018 at 10:53 amHello AW, Some people are selling edibles and some legitimately just selling a snack. Make sure you ask. It depends what you're looking for, but the edibles have always done the trick for my friends... and me the one time I tried ;) Ash
-
-
August 13, 2017 at 4:59 pmZanzi in (Citudella villa Olimpica )the weed there is so good and the best compared to other cannabis shops I've been to. it's not stuffy at all, most are , you'll be shocked on how the smoke will stink on you after coming out. ZANZI IS A WISE CHOICE!
-
October 15, 2016 at 7:41 amAny recommendations for someone visiting from LA for a club for foreigners?
-
October 18, 2016 at 11:30 amFor foreigners without an EU passport/Spanish working papers you'll probably have to go through some tour people. Check out http://weedadvisor.nl/ (the site loads ridiculously slowly so put on a pot of coffee or walk the dog and come back) and they should be able to hook you up. Please let me know how it goes - I am still trying to find someone to collaborate with on this and your feedback would be invaluable. Thanks!
-
-
January 8, 2016 at 11:42 amRemedy BCN in the gothic quarter took care of it for me. Great club.
-
January 8, 2016 at 11:47 amThanks for the tip, Herb... if that is your real name ;)
-