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Rise and Fall o Cannabis Clubs in Spain:
A Case o Con en5ous Poli5cs
A u o Al a ez-Roldan (aal a ez@ug .es), I án Pa a (ipa a@ug .es), and Juan F.
Gamella (gamella@ug .es)
Depa men o Social An h opology, Uni e si y o G anada, Spain
Pape p esen ed a he 35 h Annual Con e ence o he Eu opean Socie y o Social D ug
Resea ch (ESSD), Manches e , 18 h–20 h Sep embe 2024.
In oduc)on
Cannabis social clubs a e g oups o use s who collecT ely culT a e and dis ibu e
cannabis o hei pe sonal use. By he la e 2010s, Spain had o e 1,500 egis e ed
associaTons ope aTng hese clubs, pa Tcula ly in Ca alonia and he Basque Coun y.
Ad oca es o his model a gue ha coope aT e culT aTon p o ides a soluTon
o adul s who wish o use cannabis wi hou eso Tng o he illegal ma ke .
Fu he mo e, hese clubs a e seen as an al e naT e o bo h p ohibiTon and
un egula ed ee ma ke s, p oposing a amewo k o he law ul egulaTon o cannabis
wi hin a closed ci cui o adul consume s.
Cannabis clubs in Spain a e a complex and mul) ace ed phenomenon, shaped
by he coun y’s poliTcal and legal amewo k, as well as he acTons o he p o-
cannabis social mo emen .
This p esen aTon explo es he ise o hese associaTons as a case o
con enTous poliTcs, ollowing Tilly and Ta ow’s concep , whe e ac o s challenge
au ho iTes h ough public acTons, alliances, and a blend o insT uTonal and non-
insT uTonal acTcs.
O e he las h ee decades, he Spanish p o-cannabis mo emen has d awn
inspi aTon om ci il igh s mo emen s o push o i s objecT es, blending non-
compliance and con on aTon, such as collecT e cannabis culT aTon. The mo emen
also le e aged Spain's decen alized poliTcal sys em, whe e au onomous communiTes
ha e conside able au onomy. This decen alizaTon, combined wi h poliTcal i al ies
be ween egional and cen al go e nmen s, enabled he mo emen o challenge
cannabis p ohibiTon and p omo e he cannabis club model as an al e naT e.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17285292
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P o-cannabis acT ism has pu sued bo h judicial and legislaT e s a egies. The
judicial app oach seeks legal ecogniTon o clubs wi hin he exisTng legal amewo k,
while he legislaT e app oach aims o change he laws go e ning club acT iTes.
The Eme gence o he Cannabis Social Mo emen in Spain (1991–2000)
In 1991, Spain's fi s cannabis associaTon, ARSEC (Ramon San os AssociaTon o he
S udy o Cannabis), was es ablished in Ba celona.
The coun y was a he final s age o he he oin c isis and expe iencing he peak
o he HIV/AIDS sp ead among d ug use s, which c ea ed a clima e o public conce n. In
esponse, he Socialis go e nmen , wi h suppo om conse aT e Ca alan and
Basque naTonalis pa Tes, passed he Law o he P o ecTon o CiTzen Secu i y,
in oducing adminis aT e penalTes o d ug use in public.
In i s ounding mani es o, ARSEC denounced legal ambigui y and abuses o
powe agains cannabis use s, commidng o cannabis esea ch, consume igh s, and
opposiTon o cannabis p ohibiTon.
In 1993, ARSEC launched i s fi s majo public ac o defiance when 97 membe s
plan ed cannabis and epo ed i o he Public P osecu o o challenge he exisTng legal
amewo k. One membe explained, "Ou goal was o denounce ou sel es o iniTa e a
social deba e, no o consume he ligle we would ha e collec ed." Despi e iniTal
acquigals, he case eached he Sup eme Cou , d awing media agenTon and swelling
ARSEC's membe ship.
O he o ganizaTons like he Basque AssociaTon o he S udy o Cannabis
(Kalamudia) quickly ollowed sui , expanding he mo emen . In 1997, hey launched
he campaign "Agains P ohibiTon? I S and Up!" exp essing solida i y wi h ARSEC and
calling o he dec iminalizaTon o cannabis culT aTon o pe sonal use. As pa o his
campaign, Kalamudia o ganized a collecT e plan aTon o 600 plan s. Despi e iniTal
legal challenges, he case was dismissed, and he ha es was collec ed.
The eme gence o publicaTons like Cañamo magazine, c ea ed by ARSEC
membe s, and he opening o Spain’s fi s g ow shops in 1997 u he helped sp ead
cannabis cul u e and solidi y he mo emen ’s posiTon.
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Fo ma)on o he Cannabis Club Model by he Judicia y
The cannabis club model began o ake shape in he ea ly 2000s, la gely influenced by
legal p o essionals and he judicia y. D ug afficking is c iminalized in Spain, bu d ug
use is no . Wi h no specific d ug laws in Spain, judges de eloped c i e ia disTnguishing
sha ed pe sonal use om afficking, ulTma ely laying he legal oundaTon o he club
model.
A landma k de elopmen occu ed when he Andalusian go e nmen
commissioned wo lawye s om he Uni e si y o Malaga, Muñoz and So o, o d ao a
epo explo ing he legal easibili y o c eaTng es ablishmen s o cannabis acquisiTon
and consumpTon.
This eques a ose amid a poliTcal conflic be ween he Socialis -con olled
Andalusian egional go e nmen and he Conse aT e Popula Pa y-con olled cen al
go e nmen . The o me had eques ed pe mission om he Minis y o Heal h o
ca y ou a clinical ial o p esc ibing he oin o opioid addic s, bu i was delayed unTl
2002.
The Cannabis Club Model
The epo ou lined fi e key ea u es ha cannabis clubs should adop o a oid
in ol emen in d ug afficking:
1. Closed es ablishmen s o egula consume membe s.
2. Cannabis consumpTon limi ed o pe sonal use.
3. On-si e consumpTon o p e en hi d-pa y access.
4. A non-p ofi amewo k.
5. A sa e space o educe ha m and a oid subs ance adul e aTon.
Howe e , he issue o supply emained un esol ed.
T iumph o he Cannabis Club Model in he Basque Coun y (2002–2011)
The model apidly gained ollowe s among leade s o he p o-cannabis mo emen in
he Basque Coun y. In 2002, Ma n Ba iuso, head o Kalamudia, dissol ed he
associaTon o c ea e fi e cannabis clubs, laying he g oundwo k o a wide ne wo k
ac oss Spain. The Fede aTon o Cannabis AssociaTons (FAC) was es ablished in 2003,
and he Basque go e nmen suppo ed he mo emen , unding esea ch and public
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discussions a ound cannabis egulaTon. The model’s iabili y was affi med in he Oña'
Mani es o (2005), which called o he dec iminalizaTon o pe sonal cannabis use and
culT aTon.
By 2010, he FAC had published a Cannabis Club C ea'on Guide, and he
mo emen ’s expansion was unde way. Howe e , egional cou s issued mixed ulings,
acquidng clubs whe e no e idence o d ug afficking was ound bu con icTng o he s
o illegal sales.
Sel - egula)on Th ough a Code o Good P ac)ce
In 2011, ENCOD published a Code o Conduc o Eu opean Cannabis Social Clubs. The
code included a se ies o p inciples, mos ly d awn om he Muñoz and So o epo ,
which clubs we e equi ed o adop o sel - egula e. The mos inno aT e elemen was
he c eaTon o a de ailed p oducTon and consumpTon egis y in each club.
The Ca alonia Boom
In Ca alonia, he club model apidly expanded aoe 2011, bu he clubs he e adop ed
a mo e comme cialized app oach, ag acTng a b oade membe ship, including ou is s.
In 2012, he mayo o Rasque a, a illage in Ta agona se e ely affec ed by he
economic c isis, p omo ed a highly publicized p ojec : allocaTng municipal land o he
culT aTon o ma ijuana h ough a municipal company, wi h he aim o supplying he
5,000 membe s o he Ba celona Cannabis Sel -ConsumpTon AssociaTon (ABCDA).
Al hough he culT aTon did no ake place, he p ojec demons a ed ha many
Ca alan clubs we e no in a o o sel - egulaTon and ad oca ed o a mo e comme cial
model. The numbe o membe s became a c iTcal ac o in he sus ainabili y o he
model unde he sel - egulaTon app oach.
Go e nmen Response
The expansion o clubs in Ca alonia led o icTon wi h bo h he cen al and Ca alan
go e nmen s. In 2013, he Gene al P osecu o ’s Office issued a di ecT e cla i ying ha
cannabis culT aTon equi ed au ho izaTon. This di ecT e aimed o encou age
p osecu o s o appeal acquigals o clubs so hey could be e iewed by he Sup eme
Cou , which had no been done be o e.
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The apid g ow h also p omp ed he Ba celona Ci y Council, con olled by he
main Ca alan NaTonalis Pa y, o inspec and close dozens o clubs in 2014 o non-
compliance wi h u ban planning egulaTons. A yea la e , he council d aoed an u ban
planning o dinance o clubs ha aimed o shu down 92% o he emaining clubs in
he ci y. This plan was ulTma ely shel ed aoe Ba celona en Comú, a new leo-wing
poliTcal pa y wi h s ong oo s in ciTzen mo emen s, won he 2015 municipal
elecTons.
Expansion o he Poli)cal Conflic o Regional Pa liamen s
The con enTous poliTcal bagle eached egional pa liamen s, wi h Na a a and
Ca alonia passing laws o egula e clubs in 2015 and 2017. Ca alan naTonalis s, who
had sough o close clubs om he Ba celona Ci y Council, ad oca ed o hei
egulaTon in he egional pa liamen , ueling he con on aTon wi h he cen al
go e nmen a he peak o he Ca alan so e eign y p ocess. The cen al go e nmen
challenged hese laws, and he ConsT uTonal Cou ulTma ely s uck hem down,
dealing a blow o he mo emen .
The Sup eme Cou and he Fall o Cannabis Clubs
In la e 2015, he Sup eme Cou issued h ee ulings decla ing he cannabis club model
illegal.
In he fi s uling, se e al magis a es issued a dissenTng opinion de ending he
legali y o clubs, p o ided hey me he ollowing condiTons:
1. Membe s had o be egula , adul consume s, and he e had o be a waiTng
pe iod be ween joining he club and being allowed o sha e he subs ance.
2. ConsumpTon had o ake place on-si e a he club.
3. Membe ship could no exceed 30 people.
4. The club’s supply could no exceed he immedia e consumpTon needs o i s
membe s.
Mos clubs ailed o mee hese condiTons.
These ulings se a legal p eceden , leading o he g adual disman ling o many
clubs. The c i e ia es ablished by ea lie case law conTnued o apply: small, closed, and
non-comme cial clubs could su i e, bu la ge-scale ope aTons we e shu down.
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Ten yea s la e , his o y epea s i sel . In July 2024, Ba celona Council, now
con olled by he Socialis Pa y, closed 30 clubs in he capi al. The Socialis depu y
mayo has exp essed his in enTon o close all clubs whe e cannabis is consumed o
sold.
Conclusions
The ise and all o cannabis clubs in Spain exemplifies how social mo emen s can
challenge exisTng legal amewo ks h ough poli)cal con en)on. The p o-cannabis
mo emen le e aged decen alized go e nance, judicial ambigui y, and poliTcal
i al ies o push o a egula ed cannabis ma ke .
While he mo emen succeeded in es ablishing a ne wo k o clubs, poliTcal
conflic wi h he cen al go e nmen ulTma ely hinde ed long- e m success.
The legal challenges aced by cannabis clubs in ecen yea s, culminaTng in he
Sup eme Cou ulings and he ConsT uTonal Cou ’s annulmen o egional laws,
unde sco e he limi s o g ass oo s mo emen s when aced wi h en enched legal and
poliTcal opposiTon.
Today, he u u e o cannabis clubs in Spain emains unce ain, as he
mo emen con on s he challenge o aligning i s goals wi h he exisTng legal
amewo k. Ne e heless, he legacy o hese clubs conTnues o in o m deba es on
cannabis policy, bo h in Spain and globally.
The model o Spanish Cannabis Clubs has been a con enien my h, highly
influenTal despi e i s unp o en success as an al e naT e sys em o p o iding cannabis
o adul use s in i s coun y o o igin.
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Rise and Fall o Cannabis Clubs in Spain:
A Case o Con en ious Poli ics
A u o Al a ez-Roldan
Juan F. Gamella
I án Pa a To o
35 h Annual Con e ence o he
Eu opean Socie y o Social D ug Resea ch
Manches e , 18 h–20 h Sep embe 2024
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INTRODUCTION
•Cannabis social clubs: collec i e cul i a ion o pe sonal
use.
•1,500+ egis e ed associa ions by he 2010s.
•Clubs as an al e na i e o p ohibi ion and un egula ed
ma ke s.
•Shaped by Spain's poli ical, legal amewo k, and p o-
cannabis ac i ism.
•Con en ious poli ics amewo k: Tilly and Ta ow.
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The Eme gence o he P o-cannabis Social
Mo emen in Spain (1991–2000)
•1991: ARSEC ( i s cannabis
associa ion) ounded in Ba celona.
•Con ex : He oin c isis, HIV/AIDS,
and public conce n.
•Law o he P o ec ion o Ci izen
Secu i y (adminis a i e penal ies).
•ARSEC's de iance: 1993 sel -
denuncia ion (Sup eme Cou case).
•Expansion: Kalamudia's campaigns
and collec i e cannabis plan a ion
(1997).
•Publica ions (e.g., Cañamo
magazine) and i s g ow shops.
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Expansion o he Poli ical Con lic o Regional
Pa liamen s
•2015–2017: Na a a and
Ca alonia pass laws o egula e
clubs.
•Poli ical con on a ion wi h
cen al go e nmen (Ca alan
so e eign y p ocess).
•Cons i u ional Cou s ikes
down egional laws.
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The Sup eme Cou and he Fall o Cannabis
Clubs
•2015: Sup eme Cou ulings
decla e he cannabis club model
illegal.
•Dissen ing opinion: condi ions o
legal clubs.
•Mos clubs do no mee hese
condi ions.
•G adual disman ling o clubs
(small, non-comme cial su i e).
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His o y Repea I sel
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Conclusions
•Rise and all o clubs: social mo emen s challenging legal amewo ks.
•Le e aging decen aliza ion, poli ical i al y, judicial ambigui y.
•Poli ical con lic limi s long- e m success.
•Sup eme Cou and Cons i u ional Cou ulings block he mo emen .
•Fu u e unce ain, bu legacy in o ms cannabis policy deba es.
•A con enien my h: in luen ial despi e unp o en success as an
al e na i e sys em o cannabis p o ision
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Thanks o you a en ion
aal a ez@ug .es
@al old
Depa men o Social An h opology
Uni e si y o G anada, Spain
