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"Spain is taking a Prohibitionist view on substance abuse"

ElRubio

Active member
Veteran
Let me bump this thread with some information on hows the cannabis scene in Spain right now. I´ve been asking sometimes, so i´ll approach this thread in order to put up all the info regarding that issue i can ghater.


Nowadays, its estimated that there are more than 600 clubs operating throughout the whole country. More than 300 are located in Catalonia (= Cataluña), being 200 in the metropolitan city area of Barcelona (= Barna = BCN).
Anyway, the trend is keep opening more and more Clubs everywhere, so certain small cities has started to keep off the permits for new openings.


Nonetheless, more and more big clubs are being opened, especially in main cities like Madriz, Valencia, Málaga, Alicante, etc...

On the other hand, it must be pointed out that CSC are still inna legal limbo, based on 2 statements: shared consume and collective grow. Theorically, you cannot throw ADs and such things, or get turists in your CSC, in order to not promote the drug abuse. Anyhow, some CSC are not following that grey legislation, and are working like straight coffeshops. This situation is especially worrying in BCN.
Obviously, some of the CSC are starting to get closed by local authorities in cases like this. Juts FYI:


First cannabis club shut down in Catalonia for drug trafficking
Authorities are keeping a closer eye on member-only associations that claim to be not-for-profit




Growing numbers of visitors are purchasing a few grams of marijuana while on holiday in Barcelona, a city that is already being described as the “Holland of the South.”

All one needs to do is become a member of a cannabis club, many of which advertise on the internet, and place an order by phone or online, as this newspaper has confirmed.

Club employees can also be found handing out flyers in the streets and leading interested passersby to club premises to help with the registration process. Membership fees are around €20.

Club employees can be found handing out flyers in the streets and leading passersby to club premises

But for the first time in the Catalan capital, a judge has ordered a club closure on the grounds that it was engaging in drug trafficking. The club, located in the district of Raval, had a price list for various marijuana products, besides selling drinks and snacks. Police observed an individual leading people off the street and into the club to get them registered on the spot and start selling them the drug.

“This way the tourists could consume and purchase marijuana without limits throughout their holiday,” said the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, in a press release.

Catalonia has around 400 cannabis clubs that are officially registered as associations, half of them in the city of Barcelona. Just two years ago, there were only 40 such clubs in the entire Catalan region. Many of these member-only, not-for-profit associations claim to use marijuana for therapeutic uses.

Catalonia has around 400 cannabis clubs that are officially registered as associations, half of them in the capital

Yet their rapid growth and targeting of tourists has triggered greater oversight by authorities.

For years, the Federation of Self-Regulated Cannabis Associations of Catalonia (Fedcac) has been asking the regional government for some kind of regulation and insisting on the importance of distinguishing lawful clubs from the unlawful ones. This group has even drafted a code of good practices that all federation members must observe.

The Fedcac has an easy solution to end the cannabis tourism: “Just wait a week before the registration of a new member takes effect,” explains federation spokesman Albert Tió.

While the sector awaits legislation that has yet to see the light, the Fedcac figures there might be more than 165,000 club members altogether, of whom 60,000 are regular consumers who spend between €50 and €100 a month. In other words, these not-for-profits make around €5 million a month collectively.

Source: http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/11/inenglish/1402495530_584157.html

Best vibes and take care!!
Support your local CSC, and keep following the norm as best as you can dudes!

hasta luego!
 

ElRubio

Active member
Veteran
Some more bad news. Sadly only in spanish:

Managing board of a CSC in Burjassot (Valencia) accept 2 years in prison:
http://www.lavanguardia.com/local/valencia/20140612/54408928231/aceptan-2-anos-de-prision-los-fundadores-de-un-club-de-fumadores-de-cannabis.html

Judge canceled teh activities of a CSC in Tarragona:
http://www.diaridetarragona.com/tarragona/24950/el-juez-anula-la-actividad-de-un-club-de-cannabis-de-tarragona

Judged for selling marihuana tha managinf board of a CSC in Galicia:
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/galicia/2014/06/02/banquillo-vender-marihuana-creador-asociacion-maria-medicinal/0003_201406G2P10994.htm

On the other hand, some local authorities are starting to regulate some aspects related to CSC, like Basque Country:
http://www.cadenaser.com/euskadi/articulo/euskadi-da-primer-paso-legalizar-clubes-cannabis/csrcsrpor/20140610csrcsreus_24/Tes

Vibes!!
 

sprinkl

Member
Veteran
Seems like big part of Europe is getting more repressive against drugs and cannabis in particular. While the Americas are loosing up. Instead of Holland/West Europe exporting cannabis to USA it is going to be the other way around. Good for the USA, at least one export product the rest of the world is waiting for...
 

Karma G

Well-known member
Vendor
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And then to think this whole problem came from US, they forced the War on Drugs on the world, They are the only reason why in EU they cant legalize ore regulate.


In my eyes F*ck the rules, do what you think is right, grow your weed,

I believe its a matter of time, when you look globaly the last 10 years things moved forward not back.
 

Karma G

Well-known member
Vendor
Veteran
Seems like big part of Europe is getting more repressive against drugs and cannabis in particular. While the Americas are loosing up. Instead of Holland/West Europe exporting cannabis to USA it is going to be the other way around. Good for the USA, at least one export product the rest of the world is waiting for...


Holland is exporting medical cannabis to cannada at the moment.

Bedrocan.
 

bombadil.360

Andinismo Hierbatero
Veteran
Some more bad news. Sadly only in spanish:

Managing board of a CSC in Burjassot (Valencia) accept 2 years in prison:
http://www.lavanguardia.com/local/v...ores-de-un-club-de-fumadores-de-cannabis.html

Judge canceled teh activities of a CSC in Tarragona:
http://www.diaridetarragona.com/tar...actividad-de-un-club-de-cannabis-de-tarragona

Judged for selling marihuana tha managinf board of a CSC in Galicia:
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notici...acion-maria-medicinal/0003_201406G2P10994.htm

On the other hand, some local authorities are starting to regulate some aspects related to CSC, like Basque Country:
http://www.cadenaser.com/euskadi/ar...s-cannabis/csrcsrpor/20140610csrcsreus_24/Tes

Vibes!!


Hola ElRubio :)

did you notice that the areas were police are raiding are not Castellano territories? hahahaha, these fascists fucks have no shame...

peace!
 

ElRubio

Active member
Veteran
Yo dudes!

Hey bombadil, i didnt notice it actually...but its happening thoughout whole Spain. Even in Madrid, Málaga, etc...

For instance, here in Madz, members from a well known CSC have been harassed these days, as soon as they left the Club. Check it up here:
http://liberadamaria.org/2014/03/22/brutalidad-policial-contra-la-marihuana-legal/


Anyway, they cant stop us. You have to do what you think is fair, like Karma said. We are pushing the Government to regulate the situation, and, as I stated before, more and more big clubs are being open day by day.

big ups everyone!
 

sprinkl

Member
Veteran
That's true, the government should still be by and for the people, elitist fucks shouldn't have a say about what we do and can't do. Without us they're nothing.

We might move forward with weed legalization but only because it brings tax money. Freedom is being cut down everywhere, bullshit media propaganda is distorting our world view, it's time to fight back. Weed shouldn't be legal or illegal, it should be everywhere.
 

Hammerhead

Disabled Farmer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
that doesn't look good for a cup even t there ?? we where talking about have the next ICM cup in Spain because of the new max 15% THC levels law in the Dam.
 

bombadil.360

Andinismo Hierbatero
Veteran
Yo dudes!

Hey bombadil, i didnt notice it actually...but its happening thoughout whole Spain. Even in Madrid, Málaga, etc...

For instance, here in Madz, members from a well known CSC have been harassed these days, as soon as they left the Club. Check it up here:
http://liberadamaria.org/2014/03/22/brutalidad-policial-contra-la-marihuana-legal/


Anyway, they cant stop us. You have to do what you think is fair, like Karma said. We are pushing the Government to regulate the situation, and, as I stated before, more and more big clubs are being open day by day.

big ups everyone!


Oh ok, I thought it was only those instances where the police were harassing and raiding clubs everywhere except for Madrid :D

I'm amazed they have about 400 clubs in Barcelona, I'll go visit one day, but first Andalusia :joint:

always a pleasure reading you hermano,

paz y salud!
 

ElRubio

Active member
Veteran
Yo bros!

Hot news from today. Interesting article bout this topic (only in spanish im afraid)


Spain, the new Mecca of cannabis.

http://sociedad.elpais.com/sociedad/2014/06/13/actualidad/1402684898_507332.html

Thing are going forward and soooo fast!!

On the other hand, it seems true that Barcelona City Council banned new Cannabis Club licenses during a year in order to regulate the sector:

http://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20140613/54408973568/barcelona-prohibe-por-un-ano-abrir-nuevos-clubes-de-cannabis-para-regularlos.html?rel=rosEP

Enjoy the read and the vid.

Bombadil, aqui estoy hermano pa cuando te apeztca pasarte!! ya sabes ;)

Keep pushing! We are gonne make it soon!!
Big ups!

PS: HH; we already hosted an IC Cup during Spannabis eventl ast march, in Barcelona. It was blast, at least for me!! super fun! thanks a lot to Ifra and the rest of the crew again! Then i heard it was more than 3 or 4 cups that weekend: dabba doo cup, and others i cannot remember the names. Vibes dude!
 
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ElRubio

Active member
Veteran
Hola dudes!

The NYTimes has published an article this past weekend over BCN situation. Here you can read:

BARCELONA, Spain — On a recent evening, two vacationing German college students, armed with addresses they had gotten off the Internet, were trying to get into one of Barcelona’s new marijuana clubs.

They were not members. But no matter. They quickly found a club near the city’s central boulevard, La Rambla, that was willing to ignore the rules, helping them choose from a dozen strains of marijuana for sale in plastic bins before letting them settle into the cushy lounge area to light up.

Forty-five minutes later, they were back on the street, smiling. “It was very nice,” said one of the students, who had researched cannabis clubs before choosing Barcelona as a holiday destination. “We will go back tomorrow.”

The number of cannabis clubs that have opened in Barcelona recently has some experts saying this city will soon challenge Amsterdam as the go-to destination for vacationers who want to get high in peace.

Even as Amsterdam has wrestled with drug tourism in recent years, reducing the number of coffee shops where it is legal to buy and smoke marijuana and hashish, about 300 new cannabis clubs have opened in Barcelona and the surrounding Catalan region, a result, at least in part, of enterprising Spaniards looking for new ways to earn a living, experts say.
Photo
Enric Juncosa, who uses marijuana as therapy for his sclerosis, at a cannabis club in Barcelona. Credit Samuel Aranda for The New York Times

It is not that Barcelona officials have given their blessing to this new phenomenon. The clubs are operating under decades-old Spanish laws that allow anyone to grow and smoke marijuana in private or to band together with others to form a cannabis club, as long as it is a nonprofit organization for members only, something like a chess or a cooking club.

But in the last three years, new clubs have opened, particularly in tourist areas like La Rambla, in many cases circumventing the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. While some clubs refuse walk-in customers like the German college students, many of them offer membership (about 20 euros, or about $27) over the Internet or by phone.

The clubs vary enormously, from basement rooms equipped with foosball tables and huge television sets, to more elegant settings with designer chandeliers and fresh fruit drink bars. Some give marijuana away to those who use it for medical purposes and see a business in this area. Others cater only to recreational users. Few of the clubs are noticeable from the street.

The Rambla Dragon Club, for instance, which opened last year, is on the ground floor of an apartment building. Only a small sign over the doorbell (as well as the constant presence of young people squinting to read it) indicates its presence. It has the feel of a Starbucks without windows, its high ceilings and a mighty ventilation system keeping the air fresh. Some of the smokers sit at tables with their laptops open. Others sit in on sofas, watching movies on a giant screen.

Some cannabis advocates say the clubs are a bright spot in the economy. Though they are nonprofits, advocates say the clubs are generating thousands of jobs and tax revenues for the state. In addition to selling a wide array of cannabis products and hashish, many of the clubs also sell food and drinks and offer extras to their members, like live music nights and Pilates classes.
Continue reading the main story

Albert Tió, the president of Fedcac, an association of cannabis clubs in the region of Catalonia that includes Barcelona, said the clubs now had 165,000 members, up from virtually none five years ago. His association was formed in 2011, with only a handful of clubs in existence, he said.

One reason for the growth, he said, was that young people saw the clubs as a way to make a living. Another factor, he said, was Barcelona’s new antismoking laws, which went into effect in bars and restaurants in January 2011 and sent cannabis smokers, who are often also tobacco smokers, looking for new places to congregate.

“The reality is this,” Mr. Tió said. “Consumers think this is better than buying drugs on the street.”

Regional officials say that many of the clubs do cater mostly to Spaniards, including one club in which all the members are women in their 80s. But Barcelona officials are so concerned about the rapid increase in such establishments and this city’s growing reputation as a place to get a legal high that they decided in June to put a one-year moratorium on new licenses while they consider issues such as proximity to schools.

“Yes, it’s a problem,” said Joan Delort, the head of prevention, security and mobility for Barcelona. “In a very few years, you have a huge registration of cannabis users. It is very hard to determine what is really going on. But in 18 months, you have clubs that are in a very small location, that have registered 4,000 members. It’s just impossible that they could have that many.”

Some of the biggest names in the marijuana world are here. The Strain Hunters, for instance, a Dutch group that makes documentaries about the hunt for native strains of marijuana around the world, opened a club here in March, on a charming side street not far from La Rambla.

With one-way windows that give the space an open and airy feel, but prevents passers-by from looking in, it has the look and the feel of an upscale bar. For those who want to get an early start, coffee and fresh croissants are available for breakfast, and members can opt for rarer cannabis products, such as pure cannabis resin in the shape of a butterfly.

Websites that review the clubs, such as MarijuanaGames.org and WeBeHigh.org, are giving Barcelona clubs high marks for both the quality and the variety of cannabis products they sell, as well as for offering a far more pleasant atmosphere than most Amsterdam coffee shops, which they say usually offer stale marijuana.

On a recent morning, Olivier Vervaet, a 21-year-old nightclub worker, was at the Strain Hunters Club looking over the cannabis menu while having a coffee. “I joined because this was just a great place to relax,” he said. “I can sit down, and someone will bring me a drink and a joint, and I don’t have to worry about the police.”

A few times a month, the police have stepped in, taking action against clubs caught leafleting on the street, for instance. But Edward Sallent, the inspector general of community policing for the Catalan regional police, said it was difficult to move against the clubs. “It’s a complex situation because a lot of the acts and behaviors are not forbidden,” he said. “Selling and trafficking are illegal, but consumption, no.”
Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story
Continue reading the main story

Many advocates say they believe the clubs are cutting down on street sales. But Mr. Sallent says he doubts that. He says the clubs are too new to know exactly what impact they will have. “There may be all kinds of costs,” he said. “Maybe it will affect the value of property. Who knows?”

Some of those involved in managing the clubs in Barcelona hope that Spain will go further in legalizing marijuana soon. Though the clubs are run as nonprofit entities, some clearly represent big investments. One such club, RMD, has set up an area for members who use marijuana to soothe the effects of chemotherapy or for other medical purposes.

It even hired a doctor to discuss their marijuana use and to help them with any issues that might arise. Tony Levi, who coordinates this aspect of the club, said he became interested in the medical benefits of cannabis when his father had cancer.

He says he believes that eventually Spain will recognize cannabis for medical use and that the services the club is providing will be covered by insurance. “I do see a business model here,” he said.


There is also a vid linked to the news! Check it out!

Source: NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/world/europe/marijuana-clubs-rise-out-of-decades-old-spanish-laws.html?_r=3
 

ElRubio

Active member
Veteran
The other side of the coin.

Detetion of 3 members of Airam Club and FEDCAC


Catalan cannabis club chiefs held for money laundering
At least four top members of marijuana association federation arrested in police probe



The heads of Fedcac, an umbrella group for Catalonia’s numerous cannabis clubs, have been arrested on charges of money laundering.

The vast amounts of money made by these allegedly non-profit associations – in the order of €5 million a month between them – had raised the suspicions of police about the use of the funds.

Catalonia has around 400 cannabis clubs with 165,000 members – half of them in Barcelona – according to Fedcac’s own figures. Just two years ago, there were only 40 such clubs in the entire region.

Many of these member-only, not-for-profit clubs claim to use marijuana for medical purposes. In practice, many advertise online and offer a catalogue of products available to anyone once they have paid a registration fee, normally around €20. Some clubs actively seek out new members in the streets, and authorities are already talking about a new kind of drug tourism in Barcelona.

Until now, police raids had focused on finding out if self-consumption was being used as a cover for drug trafficking

The detainees include the president of Fedcac, Albert T., sources familiar with the investigation told EL PAÍS. There were at least four arrests.

Until now, police raids had focused on finding out whether self-consumption was used as a cover for drug trafficking. But law enforcement is now trying to find out where the profits from the sales go.

As non-profits, the clubs have the obligation to reinvest all money earnt back into the association. Part of the money they make goes into operation costs – paying rent, wages and so on.

The detainees were the regular representatives for the clubs and they had held dozens of meetings with public officials to convince them of the need to regulate the sector.

On Wednesday, the Mossos d’Esquadra Catalan police raided the headquarters of Airam, one of the clubs that has most actively demanded industry regulation. Its president, Albert T., is also president of the federation. Another raid was carried out on Kali, located in Sant Cugat whose head is the vice-president of Fedcac. No arrests were made there.

The federation’s treasurer, Albert Mayol, reported “a full-scale offensive” and expressed fear at being “next in line” for detention.

“We are seeing a contradictory message whereby we are asked to cooperate on the issue of regulation, yet at the same time we are prevented from conducting our activities normally through periodic police raids,” said Fedcac in a release.

“It’s the same old story: the health department wants to regulate it but the Mossos keep on making arrests,” said Martí Cànaves, a criminal lawyer who has defended members of several associations.

In June of this year, a court ordered a club shut down on the grounds that it was engaging in drug trafficking.


Source: Elpaís.
http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/07/11/inenglish/1405075026_271011.html
 
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