Visiting cannabis clubs in Barcelona: what you need to know

23.02.2020

— 8

min read

You chose a club, found it, and have even gotten inside... what now? Here are some tips about what it's like inside Barcelona cannabis clubs.

Registration

At the reception, you will be asked to show your ID. Nearly any valid government-issued ID with your photo would be fine: for example, a passport or a driver's license. Please note that student IDs are not accepted. Then, you will need to answer a couple of questions and fill out a small questionnaire, which, among other things, specifies the amount of marijuana that you plan to smoke in the club. Be courageous and indicate the maximum: 100 grams per month. As they all charge a membership fee, you will need to pay a yearly membership fee — at most clubs, it costs 20 euros. This is just a membership fee; this amount does not include anything but the opportunity to visit the association during the whole year.

After registering and paying the annual fee, you can get into the place where the most interesting things happen. Well, what could be more interesting than weed cafes in Barcelona with a bunch of the best varieties of marijuana in Europe? Nothing — that's why we are certainly heading there. These coffee shops or bars with hemp/cannabis products all over the world are called dispensaries. The basic meaning of this word in English is a place where you can pick up medicine.

Select a product at the dispensary

In the designated cannabis bars, you will always welcomed by a sociable budtender. Here, again, this is a wordplay that is difficult to translate into other languages: "budtender" combines the English words “bartender” and “bud.” It turns out something like "a bartender that attends to the weed buds." The budtender will gladly tell you about all varieties and extracts, will advise you on products fitting to your mood, and will allow you to smell almost all available products.

All these private cannabis clubs in Barcelona have a whole fleet of various smoking devices and paper for rolling — all this is available for free. In some places, you can find personnel who speak five languages, while others have employees who only speak Spanish. If this question is crucial for you, it is better to clarify it in advance, even when choosing a BCN cannabis club.

What do you need to know to visit a cannabis club?

Due to the laws surrounding cannabis, it is incredibly important what wording you use in weed cafes in BCN when you receive marijuana. Under the Spanish law, cannabis clubs must be non-profit organizations. And, despite that what is happening at the dispensary looks like an ordinary purchase, from the legal point of view everything is quite different.

Let me remind you that the 20 euros that you pay for the registration is just what they charge for a yearly membership fee. And the money that you give to the dispensary in exchange for the products is your contribution to the common cash register. The club uses the money from this cash register to grow cannabis, which is then distributed among the visitors (the club members). As a side note, I'd like to mention that not all marijuana is grown by the club. Each club has its own cannabis enthusiasts who supply the dispensary with high-quality weed.

This is an important point: it allows authorized and licensed cannabis clubs to stay out of the Spanish Penal Code, which stipulates serious penalties for selling drugs. So you must be careful with this formality and never use words related to a transaction; otherwise, you may be rebuked or even have your membership canceled. You can't ask “to buy weed,” as it's not buying weed at all. So, the rules and etiquette in a Barcelona cannabis club say that the words "buy" and "sell" are prohibited. Instead, you can use any neutral words that aren't related to buying and selling: for instance, get or take.

Must not use	Need to use
buy; purchase	get; have; acquire; collect

The "contribution" to get cannabis in Barcelona, depending on the sort of weed, for a gram of bud will usually range from 10 to 20 euros. Prices are not discussed here so there is no need to bargain: in Catalonia, it is not accepted so you will not be understood. Another thing to expect at a cannabis club in Barcelona — clubs only accept cash, so stock up in advance.

How many grams would you like?

Another peculiar detail about Barcelona cannabis clubs is that they keep records of what you take. Limits as to how much weed you can use in a cannabis club may vary from place to place, but by legislative regulations for cannabis clubs in Barcelona, it must not exceed 100 grams per month. It is within these boundaries of cannabis use in the coffee shops in Barcelona that the Spanish government believes to be a reasonable limit for personal consumption.

Believe me, 100 grams of Spanish bud is a lot, so it is pointless to squirrel it away for the rest of your life. As a registered member, you can visit the government-authorized and licensed cannabis clubs as often as you like. In addition, do not forget that cannabis is legal only within the walls of the club. You have nothing to worry about while you are inside: any activity with marijuana inside such an association is completely legal. That's not a problem if you show clear signs of having smoked marijuana when you go outside.

When you join a cannabis association, you will see that the rules of the clubs expressly forbid taking weed outside, but no one will ever search you. So, if you really want, you can certainly do it. But do not forget that according to the laws of Spain, possessing any amount of marijuana is a crime. The attitude of the authorities towards cannabis here is certainly tolerant, but if they find any marijuana on you, the most likely outcome will be a fine of 1,000 euros and frayed nerves.

Another reason not to get too excited with the amount is the exorbitant quality of the local pot. You have to be sure of what you are doing when smoking buds that have 30% THC content. Start small in order not to spoil the fun for yourself and others. Also, I would advise you to take a bit of different varieties. Personally, it is always interesting for me to try and compare new strains.

A chill atmosphere

Let's talk about exploring more weed coffee shops in BCN. Most cannabis clubs have a very calm, peaceful atmosphere similar to home. This is largely due to the "closed" nature of the clubs and all the requirements with the mandatory registration. And I would say this is their great advantage over the famous coffee shops in Amsterdam. So, once you are inside, feel the vibe and look for ways to join the cannabis club etiquette.

Presumably, you will like the chill-out atmosphere there too, but be prepared that the administration and other guests will expect appropriate behavior. What you need to know for visiting a cannabis club is that it is not customary here to speak loudly, gather in large companies, make noise, or behave saucily. If you violate the calm ambience, you may be asked to leave or even expelled from the club, especially if it's your first cannabis club membership in Barcelona. So, for example, going here after a noisy sports bar to continue the party might not be the best idea.

Before taking a photo, clarify whether it is allowed in the club. The very name "cannabis social club” quite accurately reflects the essence. It is not just a cafe where you can smoke some grass, but rather a comfortable space with a relaxing atmosphere. This is a big part of cannabis culture in Catalonia.

Keep the balance

Here are some more tips about Barcelona cannabis clubs. Even though marijuana associations operate legally, they do not like to attract unnecessary attention to their activities. They tend to be very secretive. The whole system of legal regulation of marijuana in Spain is built on a certain balance. And in my opinion, everything works just perfectly: cannabis lovers have a wide range of chic places where they can legally and quietly enjoy bud. And, what's more, these places do not disturb conservative citizens who do not share our enthusiasm about marijuana, and they do not attract the attention of teenagers. So try not to hang out around the entrance, as this can attract attention.

Those are the most important things you need to know about cannabis clubs in Barcelona before your visit there. Study the guide to our catalog's clubs, choose the club you like, and keep it real!