Cannabis and hemp in Spain have a long and rich history. The plant has grown feral on the Iberian peninsula since prehistory [1] and has been intensely cultivated, in particular for its fibres, throughout Spanish and Portuguese history.
The Cannabis plant genus has been documented to be present on the Iberian peninsula before humans arrived. [2] As early as the late Neolithic, the plant was growing feral, as in most parts of the Mediterranean coasts. It became intensely cultivated in Spain, in particular for its fibre production. [3] [4]
During Antiquity, cannabis was cultivated and discussed on the basis of texts from Ancient medical authors like Galen, Dioscorides, or Mesue.
In the period known as Al-Andalus, cannabis was intensely cultivated and used for both its "industrial hemp" and "marijuana" sides, [5] including food, fiber, medicine, and recreation. [6]
The seeds and seeded tops of cannabis plants were often called "sedenegi" (also šedenegi, šahdānaŷ, and other forms), a word from Persian origins meaning "King of Grains". [7] The plant was also referred to under other names, such as aixís, al-hachicha, alhaxis, alhaxina, al-quinnab, al-qinnab al-barrī, qinnab al-barrīyya, al-qinnab al-hindī, al-qinnab al-bustānī, al-qinnam, alquînnam, al-qunaynaba, axix, banq, banhy, linho alcanave, qinnab rūmī, quinnam, waraq al-sahdanay, zarréat quîuam, etc. [7]
The cultivation and use of cannabis continued in Catholic Spain, after the Reconquista. In 1664, Pere Pau Pereda published a pamphlet in defense of cannabis cultivation, testifying to the important presence in the Catalonia and Valencian regions, stating that:
there are many very healthy cities and towns in Hispania, despite having a great abundance of both cannabis crops and their softening. It is evident that in the towns known as Xàtiva, Tarragona, Alcanyís, Requena, Utiel, Vilanova, l'Hospitalet de l'Infant and Alcarràs, the vast majority of people enjoy a healthy life and old age. [8]
The use of cannabis products is decriminalized for personal cultivation and use, and other purposes other than sale or trade. [9] [10] It's illegal for trade or commercial purposes. Using the legal grey areas in Spanish legislation, cannabis clubs are a popular way for enthusiasts to obtain and use cannabis as a technically-legal private collective. In private places, consumption and possession of reasonable amounts (up to 100 grams (3.5 oz)) is legal. [11]
Sale and importation of any quantity of cannabis is a criminal offence, punishable by jail time. The purchase, possession and consumption of cannabis in a public place constitutes a misdemeanour punishable by a fine and confiscation of the product. Consumption and cultivation by adults in a private space is legal, the latter due to a legal vacuum and provided that it is shown to be for one's own consumption. [12] Cannabis plants that are located somewhere visible from the street/public place (i.e. from balconies) are considered a serious administrative offense, which leads to a fine from 601 to 30,000€. [13] [14] [15]
Cannabis laws in Spain can vary by autonomous community. For example, in June 2017, Catalonia legalised the cultivation, consumption and distribution of cannabis for members of designated cannabis clubs. The clubs must be self-sufficient non-profit organisations and only distribute cannabis to those aged 18 years old and over. Cannabis clubs in Catalonia are also limited to producing 150kg of dried cannabis a year and must follow rules intended to stop drug tourism. [16] In July 2021, it was revealed that the cannabis clubs in Barcelona were facing being shut down due to the supreme court cutting out a legal loophole that had allowed them to exist. [17] As of April 2022, clubs were still operating in Barcelona when it was revealed that some have been used by drug trafficking networks. [18]
The political party Podemos supports legalising and regulating cannabis in Spain. [19] [20] [21] In 2021, the political party Más País introduced a motion to legalise the recreational use of cannabis in Spain. It was supported by Unidas Podemos, an electoral alliance of which Podemos is part of. However, the governing Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, often referred to under its abbreviated name, PSOE, voted against the motion. [22]
Hundreds of cannabis consumption clubs and user associations have been established throughout Spain, as early as 1991. The number of active private "cannabis clubs" existing in Spain is subject to variations and interpretation, but an overwhelming majority of them are located in Barcelona (Catalonia) alone. [23] [24]
All actions related to cannabis apart from sale or trade are not considered criminal offenses, [25] and normally are misdemeanors punishable by a fine. [26] [27] These "asociaciones cannábicas" (cannabis associations, cannabis users associations) are established as non-profit associations that grow cannabis on behalf of their members, and distribute the harvest to their members in exchange for the costs of production (which allow to avoid the legal classification as "sale", hence remaining within the legal boundaries of the non-criminalized activities of personal cultivation and possession). The legal status of these clubs remains however uncertain and subject to variations depending on the case, the judge, and the region.
The evolution of the legal status of cannabis social clubs in Spain has a complex history, with important key dates:
In October 2005, the autonomous government in the region of Catalonia launched a program of therapeutic use of Sativex for 600 patients of a wide set of illnesses, from multiple sclerosis to cancer, in order to avoid nausea or to relax tense muscles. The project involves six hospitals, forty researchers and sixty drugstores. The product is presented as an atomizer to be taken orally, and it will be delivered at drugstores inside some hospitals. The full text of the research initiative can be seen, in Catalan, from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. [34]
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Spain is spoken of as the "new Amsterdam," a destination for marijuana tourists. [35]
The Revista Cáñamo (literally "Hemp magazine") is the main media of Spanish cannabis communities, founded in 1993. There are other cannabis-specific media such as Soft Secrets Spain, Cannabis Magazine, or Tricomics.
Several political parties focused on cannabis have been active in Spain: Cannabis Party for Legalisation and Normalisation (2003–2006), the RCN-NOK (2'10-2021), and Luz Verde (2021-present).
The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These policies in most countries are regulated by three United Nations treaties: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Cannabis was reclassified in 2020 to a Schedule I-only drug under the Single Convention treaty, with the schedules from strictest to least being IV, I, II, and III. As a Schedule I drug under the treaty, countries can allow the medical use of cannabis but it is considered to be an addictive drug with a serious risk of abuse.
Jorge Cervantes is the pen name of George Van Patten, an American horticulturist, publisher and writer specializing in indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cultivation of medical cannabis.
The Cannabis Party in Spain refers to different initiatives of political party and political campaigning centered around cannabis, hemp and drug policy reform proposals.
A Cannabis Social Club (CSC), sometimes called Cannabis Club, Cannabis Association, or Teapad, is a type of cannabis retail outlet, an industry model for regulated cannabis organised as non-profit cooperatives in which cannabis is cultivated, shared, and enjoyed collectively, usually for the purpose of relaxing or for social communion.
Marijuana, or marihuana, is a name for the cannabis plant, and more specifically, a drug preparation from it. "Marijuana" as a term varies in usage, definition and legal application around the world. Some jurisdictions define "marijuana" as the whole cannabis plant or any part of it, while others refer to "marijuana" as a portion of the cannabis plant that contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some jurisdictions recognize "marijuana" as a distinctive strain of cannabis, the other being hemp. For legal, research and statistical reference, "marijuana" generally refers to only the dried leaves and flowering tops, with by-products such as hashish or hash oil being uniquely defined and regulated. The form "marihuana" is first attested in Mexican Spanish; it then spread to other varieties of Spanish and to English, French, and other languages.
In the early 21st century, advocacy for drug legalization has increased in Latin America. Spearheading the movement, the Uruguayan government announced in 2012 plans to legalize state-controlled sales of marijuana in order to fight drug-related crimes.
Cannabis is legal in Uruguay, and is one of the most widely used drugs in the nation.
Podemos is a left-wing to far-left political party in Spain. Founded in January 2014 by the political scientist Pablo Iglesias Turrión as part of the anti-austerity movement in Spain, the party is currently led by Secretary-general Ione Belarra.
Cannabis in Chile is illegal for all production and public consumption, though private at-home consumption, grow and selling is allowed for medical use. It is widely consumed, with the highest per-capita use in Latin America. In 2014 Chile began clinical trials on medical marijuana, and in 2015 a decriminalization bill successfully passed the lower house of the Chilean Congress.
En Comú Podem was an electoral coalition in Catalonia, originally formed in October 2015 by Podemos, Barcelona en Comú, Initiative for Catalonia Greens, United and Alternative Left, and Equo, and led by the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, to contest the 2015 Spanish general election.
Unidas Podemos, formerly called Unidos Podemos and also known in English as United We Can, was a democratic socialist electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, and other left-wing to far-left parties in May to contest the 2016 Spanish general election. The alliance's official pre-agreement was announced on 9 May 2016 after weeks of negotiations. It was re-styled to the feminine form of its name ahead of the April 2019 Spanish general election.
Cannabis in Germany has been legal for recreational usage by adults in a limited capacity since 1 April 2024, making it the ninth country in the world to legalise the drug. As of February 2024, it has been assessed that 4.5 million Germans use cannabis.
Cannabis in Argentina is regulated by the Penal Code of Argentina, which prohibits its possession, cultivation, and supply, except for authorized medical purposes. Official statistics estimate that cannabis is used by 7.8% of Argentina's population.
Cannabis in Peru is not legal for recreational use, possession for own consumption is also decriminalized by the Criminal Code and medical cannabis was legalized in 2017.
The list includes and details significant events that occurred in the global history of national-level implementations of, or changes made to, laws surrounding the use, sale, or production of the psychoactive drug cannabis.
Cannabis in Guatemala, as of 2016, is illegal. Otto Pérez, when he was president of the country, tried to lead a legalization drive, and several congressmen attempted to pass a law for legalization, but those efforts failed. A poll conducted in 2012 said that 41% of Guatemalans might support decriminalization.
Cannabis in Bolivia is illegal, but cultivated illicitly, mostly for domestic consumption. Bolivian law treats cannabis equally to cocaine, with possession of one gram punishable by 10–25 years in prison.
The possession and use of cannabis is illegal in El Salvador for both recreational and medical purposes. The country is a signatory of the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, and has criminalized the production and distribution of the drug.
Más País (MP), or More Country, was a political party in Spain. It was an electoral platform formed by Íñigo Errejón around Más Madrid in order to contest the November 2019 general election.
Marihuana prensada or cannabis prensado, also known as ladrillo or, colloquially, paragua or paraguayo is a compressed cannabis cut into blocks that facilitate transport.
No és la primera vegada que Batlle es mostra contrari a la presència d'aquests locals a la ciutat. El mes de març va assegurar que "el consum de marihuana és un element bàsic de la conflictivitat".[It is not the first time that Batlle has shown opposition to the presence of these facilities in the city. In March he had assured that "marijuana consumption is a basic element of conflictuality".]
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