You probably already know that Barcelona is one of the best places in the world where you can smoke marijuana in an absolutely legal manner. However, if you are a tourist, the only adequate way to do this is to join a local cannabis club. If you want everything to happen legally, this is really the only option.
How to get weed in Barcelona?
For starters, let’s look at the legality of cannabis in Spain. Looking at the general picture, it differs a little from other countries: the purchase, sale, storage, and consumption of cannabis in public places in Spain is prohibited. Nonetheless, the local legislation is very tolerant of the private space of the citizens — you can do almost anything on your own property as long as it does not interfere with others. It is also authorized for people to join various clubs. Therefore, despite the lack of laws that directly allow smoking marijuana, there are situations in which its use becomes legal.
- You may grow two bushes on your private property, provided that the plants are not visible from the street. You can also smoke cannabis in an enclosed private space. Putting it simply, you can grow your own marijuana and smoke it at home, on the condition that the smell does not disturb your neighbors and the bushes are not visible to passers-by.
- You can join a private Barcelona cannabis club. These are non-profit (at least formally) "associations of pot lovers, where marijuana is grown and then distributed to the associates. The members, in turn, make “contributions” to make up for the cost of growing the weed. The so-called “marijuana bars” are located in very cozily designed spaces and you can consume the provided cannabis only inside these facilities.
One can visit such a club only as a registered cannabis club member. To enter it without a cannabis club invitation, just out of the street, as if it were some coffee place, won’t work. Fortunately, the membership registration procedure is quite simple and won't require too much effort from you. In short, if you want to join a cannabis club, you must be invited by an existing member or you will need to email them, and they’ll issue a cannabis club invitation for you. We will talk about it a little below.
Just to be fair, let's mention the third way to get weed in Barcelona: to buy it on the street. In this sense, Barcelona is not much different from other European cities — except for the fact that you may get more offers. However, the essence is the same: poor quality, a lack of customer service, and legal troubles.
Cannabis club membership requirements
- You must be older than 18 years or 21 years. It depends on the club; the age limit of a particular place can be specified in advance in our catalog of cannabis clubs in Barcelona.
- You need to provide any official identification document (except for a student ID) with your photo. To join a club, your passport or driver’s license will do.
- Take cash with you, as the clubs do not allow payments by any other means. All in all, you will need 20 euros to pay an annual membership fee, and the price for a gram of bud is about 10-20 euros.
In very rare cases, you may be requested to provide your residential address. You can name any existing address in Barcelona; nobody will check it anyway.
Joining a cannabis club in Barcelona
So, you are an adult with a valid ID, cash in your pocket, and a yearning to join Barcelona’s cannabis culture.
- Study our catalog of cannabis clubs in Barcelona or the weed map and choose the club you like the most. I’d advise you to look through all the choices and compare what they offer: leisure activities, the schedule, the interior design/ambience, languages spoken by the staff, etc.
- After selecting a club that’s taking new members, press the button “Apply for membership” and complete the membership registration form. You will need to provide information like the day you plan to visit, your email address, and whether anyone else will be attending. Fill out the form in Latin letters, according to the spelling in your documents.
- After you’ve sent a member request and received the invitation (it will arrive in your email inbox), go to the club. Show the message you received and your ID card at the reception desk.
- It’s time to pay the annual membership. Congratulations! Now you’ve got a membership at a cannabis club!
There is no point in trying to find out anything by email or phone. Stay cool and follow the instructions the cannabis club provided you with. Just come to the specified address on the appointed day, ring the doorbell, and show the letter from the club. At the reception desk, after the clerk has confirmed you are of legal age, they will be happy to answer your questions. That’s about it. To finally get hold of your club card, you’ll just need to confirm that you agree with the rules of the club, after which you can go inside and sample the best weed in Europe. However, we have a special article on how to behave in a cannabis club. I advise you to get familiar with it.
What is the advantage of joining an official Barcelona club?
If you have already had the pleasure of strolling through the streets of Barcelona, then perhaps you might have already bumped into some people who tried to sell you weed. Or perhaps they tried to invite you to visit a particular place where you can smoke it. We strongly recommend denying such proposals, and here are the main reasons why:
Security
The official and legal cannabis clubs provide security in the most direct, physical sense: in terms of your inviolability and your property. The sale of marijuana is forbidden in Spain, and if you find a shady person willing to sell it to you, you may end up being robbed.
In addition, the club is a secure venue from a legal point of view: only in the official association of interests (the marijuana clubs) can you get and consume cannabis without breaking any laws. Once at an illegal pseudo club, you have to be aware that you become an accomplice to the drug trafficking, with all the unpleasant consequences that this might have.
Quality of the weed
Street dealers and brothels, disguised as cannabis lounge clubs, are interested only in short-term profits from the tourists, so they supply their customers with the cheapest and, consequently, unpalatable grass. Conversely, official cannabis clubs are supplied by enthusiastic growers, and the quality of their products is world-renowned.
The atmosphere
The interior design of illegal establishments is a sad sight: as a rule, they are shabby gloomy basements with primitive atmospheres. In any case, to see what real clubs look like, you'd better take a look for yourself in our catalog of cannabis clubs in Barcelona.
So if you don't want dubious adventures in a foreign country, just ignore any marijuana suggestions that come to you from the streets. Don’t risk it — join today a cannabis association today.
In conclusion
In Spain, cannabis clubs are unique and differ favorably from the same coffee shops in Amsterdam. If you enjoy smoking weed and find yourself in Barcelona, it would be a big mistake not to visit one of these establishments. Once inside, you will realize that a little inconvenience with registration is nothing compared to the impressions made by the atmosphere and the quality of cannabis in these places.
So choose a club to your liking and enjoy Barcelona’s cannabis clubs!
