A push is underway in Barcelona, Spain to close down the city’s famed cannabis clubs, with local authorities reportedly shutting down 30 such clubs this month. Prohibitions on private cannabis consumption was previously deemed to be unconstitutional in Spain, a decision that led to the proliferation of private cannabis clubs in many parts of Spain, particularly in the Catalonia region.
“The City Council has notified thirty associations that they must cease their activities and has indicated that it intends to eliminate all venues in the Catalan capital where marijuana is consumed.” stated ABC in its local reporting (translated from Spanish to English).
“The deputy mayor and councillor for security, Albert Batlle , announced at the end of 2023 that there are more than 200 cannabis clubs in the city, which have become one of the main access routes to the substance for their users for more than a decade. Batlle already acknowledged that the intention of the City Council was to “close them all”.” ABC also reported.
While Albert Batlle estimated that there are ‘more than 200 cannabis clubs in the city,’ Catalonian law enforcement previously estimated that there are roughly 450 cannabis clubs in the region. Policymakers in the region passed a measure in 2017 to locally regulate cannabis clubs in the area, however, the measure was later deemed to be unconstitutional by Spain judicial system.
In February 2024, Spain’s Ministry of Health started the process of developing a Royal Decree to help boost the nation’s domestic medical cannabis industry, although, there is no estimated timetable for enactment of a national medical cannabis measure.
According to Statista:
- In Spain, the revenue in the Recreational Cannabis market is predicted to reach US$1.53bn in 2024
- It is anticipated that the revenue will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 4.86%, resulting in a market volume of US$1.94bn by 2029
“In practical terms, the system serves more than 4 million Spanish cannabis consumers, while attracting a broader canna-tourism market of 6.6 to 12.4 million consumers each year.” stated New Frontier Data in 2019 regarding Spain’s unregulated cannabis club system.
“Though no definitive numbers are maintained or verified, estimates gathered from industry stakeholders describe CSCs ranging between smaller clubs (with fewer than 3,000 members) to the largest (including up to 50,000 registered if not active members). Across that range, about 2/3 of clubs reportedly maintain rolls of between 3,000-10,000 consumer.” New Frontier Data also stated.
Spain adopted a medical cannabis legalization measure in 2005, although domestic medical cannabis production is limited to the export market and domestic research. Medical cannabis patients largely rely on unlicensed cannabis clubs to source their products.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimates that 8.6% of adults in Spain report having consumed cannabis within the last month. An estimated 40.9% of adults in Spain report having consumed cannabis at least once in their lifetimes.