Each month I receive hundreds of questions from readers about Barcelona’s cannabis clubs. Questions range from “How Can I get Membership at a Cannabis Club in Barcelona?” to “Is Weed Legal in Barcelona?” to questions about the club’s use of personal information and many others. Of course, there’s also no shortage of questions about the actual marijuana in Barcelona, such as “What’s the price of weed in Barcelona?” and, “Can tourists join a Barcelona cannabis club?” Because many of these questions follow a common theme, I thought this short but direct list of the 10 most important things you need to know about Barcelona’s cannabis clubs might help shed some light on what is – by necessity – a private industry.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP
(This is a preliminary application process valid as of 2018; not all who apply will qualify for membership based on Spanish law and club policy. This process is not meant to be promotional in any way; application for membership is general and is not necessarily applied to any particular club unless the applicant fully qualifies.)
Here are the 10 most important things you need to know about cannabis clubs in Barcelona:
1.) Cannabis Clubs in Barcelona are Private, not Public
Don’t confuse a cannabis club in Barcelona for a coffeeshop in Amsterdam; they’re not at all the same thing. Amsterdam’s coffeeshops are public and are open to anyone at any time. Barcelona’s cannabis clubs, on the other hand, are only open to new members via referrals through existing members. These policies result in striking differences between the two:
- Amsterdam’s best coffeeshops feel like you’re hanging out at a pub or bar
- Barcelona’s best cannabis clubs feel like you’re hanging out in your own living room
If you join a cannabis social club in Barcelona, you can trust that your personal information will remain private. You won’t receive marked mail from the club, the club won’t sell, give away, or provide your information to anyone else, the club will not leak or otherwise make your information available to government or other authorities, and the club won’t spam you with advertisements or offers. Why? Because it’s all private, not public.
Get Cannabis in Barcelona – Join a Private Barcelona Cannabis Club Now
2.) You Don’t “Buy” Weed from Barcelona’s Cannabis Clubs
When you become a member of a cannabis club in Barcelona, you are essentially part of a coalition that grows and distributes marijuana among its members. Therefore, the marijuana that’s grown belongs to all members, including you. You are required to pay for your share of what it costs to grow the marijuana and for the building space and other facilities, utilities, etc. These costs are recouped in a number of ways, and members generally share the cost.
This means that you’re not buying marijuana when you go to a Barcelona smoking club. You’re simply acquiring your share of what you and other members have collectively grown. Therefore, it is considered rude to talk about “buying weed,” and if you do so while at a club you might be corrected. Instead, ask how much the member share is, or how much contribution is required for X number of grams of cannabis.
Click this link to learn more about the legality of Cannabis in Barcelona
3.) You Need a Photo ID and Address in Spain to Get Membership at a Barcelona Cannabis Club
In order to get a membership at a Barcelona cannabis club, you must present a valid government-issued passport, driver’s license, state or regional ID, NIE/DNI card, or other photo-visa. You must also register using a regular residential address in Spain; in most cases a hotel or hostel address won’t work, so you will need to provide a residential address. No mail will ever be sent to the address you provide, the information will be kept strictly confidential and in most cases you are not required to “prove” your address. Spanish residency is NOT required to join a cannabis club in Barcelona or any other city; you must merely supply a residential address at the time of your inscription. AirBnB and similar addresses are perfectly acceptable to use at registration.
NOTE: In addition to the above, some clubs may require you to allow them to photograph you for their records. If you’re comfortable with this, then go for it.
Additionally, some clubs require members to be 21 years old or older, while others accept new members as young as age 18. If you’re trying to pull a fast one because you are under age, don’t bother; your identification will be rigorously checked by club staff before you are allowed to enter.
Join a Private Barcelona Cannabis Club Now
4.) You can Still Get in Trouble for Smoking Marijuana in Barcelona
Just because you can get weed legally in Barcelona doesn’t mean you can be flippant about it. Spanish law is very liberal in private spaces. Therefore, it’s okay to have some marijuana in your own home, or in a private Barcelona cannabis club. But if you display or use marijuana in a public place and are caught, you’ll almost certainly be fined, the marijuana will be confiscated, and depending on the circumstances, you could be arrested and jailed.
Be smart. Just because you see people smoking joints on Las Ramblas doesn’t mean you should too. In fact, the truth of the matter is that outside of a private residence or a legitimate cannabis club, you could be harassed and ticketed by police. If you take cannabis out of a club (most people do) then please remember to transport it in your under garments. Spanish authorities cannot search there without a warrant. If you do get caught with weed in public, you will be ticketed and pay a fine, but there is no criminality involved unless you are over a threshold that most cannabis club members never exceed.
The best policy if you are stopped by police and found with cannabis is to say as little as possible, and do not tell the police where you acquired the cannabis.
5.) Not All Marijuana at Cannabis Clubs in Barcelona is grown by the Club
Some Barcelona smoking clubs can’t afford the space, equipment, risk, or services required to grow fine quality marijuana. Instead, they resort to acquiring it via other means. In some cases this may involve getting weed from other cannabis clubs in Barcelona, or it may require cooperation with large growers out in the Spanish countryside. There are also some clubs that get their marijuana from the guys that sell it down on the beach.
Where the club acquires its cannabis may not matter to you, but it definitely does to me. After all, if I wanted street marijuana, I’d just go get it from the street guys directly, and at a much better price. The problem is that, because growing cannabis at scale is not legal in Spain, many clubs have been raided repeatedly, and at great expense. Therefore, many clubs opt to procure cannabis via local supplier networks, which often service a large number of clubs. Often, the cannabis acquired from these networks is excellent, but in some cases, it’s sub-standard, so make sure you only join a Barcelona cannabis club with a superior reputation for the quality of its marijuana.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP
6.) Not All of Barcelona’s Smoking Clubs are Created Equal
The differences from one Barcelona cannabis club to the next are astounding. There are huge clubs that span three floors of a major building, and there’s clubs that are nothing more than one small room with a couple of cheap chairs. There are clubs that are located in dark basements, and clubs that are in bright new spaces. Some are themed, some are not. Some are fancy, some are dingy.
Whatever type of environment you’re looking for, chances are that you can find it at a cannabis club in Barcelona. In fact, there’s even a gay cannabis club in the city called Berry Boi, but I’ve never been able to get much information on it. If you know of this club or you’re a member there, please get in touch with me: russ@marijuanagames.org
What I’ve found is that most people who are regulars at Barcelona’s cannabis clubs have memberships to multiple clubs – usually at least 5 or 6 – and frequent them all for different reasons; different strains of cannabis, different people, different environments, different locations in the city, etc.
7.) Most Cannabis Clubs Charge a Yearly Membership Fee
You’ll pay your fair share for the effort required to grow your marijuana and house you in a number of ways. First, nearly every club requires the payment of a yearly membership fee. This is generally 25-50 Euro, but can be as low as 20 Euro and as high as 100 Euro. Some clubs give membership away for free, but this is rare and often comes at a price – poor service, cruddy environment, terrible weed, etc.
It is not appropriate to negotiate or attempt to have the membership fee waived. We are all members; we all need to support each other, and these small fees are how we pull together to do this. You’ll also contribute a set amount per gram for different marijuana strains and hash, and for any other products or services offered by the club.
Additionally, you may want to bring a friend or family member with you to the club who doesn’t smoke, but still wants to see what it’s like. This is completely acceptable, but this person must still register for membership to be able to enter the club, in keeping with the private nature of the clubs which is necessary for their existence. Remember; if a person could just walk into a club off the street, without becoming a member, then the club cannot be considered “private,” and thus will have no protections under the law. The best thing to do is to bring your friend with you even if they don’t use cannabis; most clubs have beer and wine, snacks and sweets, movies, games, videos, live music, special events, and more to keep everyone happy; even non-smokers.
Join a Barcelona Cannabis Social Club Now
8.) There are Legal Limits to How Much Marijuana you Can Acquire
This is important; there are limits to how much weed you can procure per month at a cannabis club in Barcelona. I believe the limits are something like 98 grams, depending on the club, which means that if you’re getting lots of weed at multiple clubs, you could be subject to investigation. Probably not, but you should know this. When you register at a Barcelona cannabis club, you will be provided with information about what the limits are, and you’ll sign a form stating you’ve read this information.
You’ll be asked on the forms how many grams per week you will acquire from the club. This is not a commitment; it is merely an estimate, so you are not required to collect this amount each week. Clubs will only allow you to acquire 5 grams per day maximum, although some clubs allow more or less, depending on the club and the member in question. I usually write that I’ll acquire around 8-10 grams per week or up to 40 per month, and for me that’s probably pretty accurate unless I’m doing a lot of entertaining that month.
By filling out this form, you are authorizing the club to grow X grams of cannabis on your behalf. This protects the club in the event that its cultivation operations are investigated.
9.) Cannabis Clubs in Spain Cannot Advertise Publicly
Because Spain’s cannabis clubs are private, members-only organizations, they cannot publicly advertise. This may be why so few people are aware of what’s really going on in Barcelona, how prevalent the cannabis clubs are, and that membership is available even to foreigners.
If you see that a Barcelona cannabis club is advertising publicly, such as someone handing out fliers or other literature or advertisements on the street, then you probably should not go to that particular club. After all, doing business with a cannabis club that’s breaking the rules is self-defeating when lawmakers in Barcelona and Spain overall still haven’t really made their minds up about cannabis clubs just yet.
If you are approached by someone on the street who wants you to join a cannabis club, you should take extreme caution as this is probably not legitimate. Professional clubs do not send promoters out into the streets to recruit new members – they don’t need to and it’s against the law anyway. I know some shady characters who promote clubs on Las Ramblas and the popular plazas nearby, and they’re not exactly people you want to get involved with.
Beware.
Join a Cannabis Club Now
10.) Regulations for Cannabis Clubs in Barcelona are on the Way
There are close to 200 cannabis clubs in Barcelona, and they’ve all been operating under what are often confusing statutes and grey areas that make it difficult to be certain that they’re doing the right thing. Thankfully, legislators have been hard at work developing a set of standards that Barcelona’s cannabis clubs can be held to. Some of these standards are being put into effect now, while others have been reserved for systematic implementation.
This means that we can expect at least some changes to the way cannabis clubs operate in the coming months, so it’s important to stay abreast of these changes in case any of them present risk or potential problems for you, whether you’re a Spaniard or not.
UPDATE: A lot has happened in the last few years. Catalonia passed a referendum to regulate the cannabis clubs, thanks to the La Rosa Verde petition, but then in 2017 the region lost its autonomy after a failed bid for independence. Now, the federal government of Spain has stepped in, applying Constitutional law, which protects and allows cannabis clubs to exist without the need for specific regulation…at least for now [2018 and beyond]. For more information about this, please review the materials at the following link:
Acquiring Membership at a Cannabis Club in Barcelona is Relatively Simple
There seems to be a lot of mystery about Barcelona’s cannabis clubs, but the reality is that in most cases, membership opportunities are abundant. So how exactly does one go about getting membership at a Barcelona cannabis club? If you know someone who is already a member of a club, you can simply ask them to sponsor you. If you don’t know anyone, then you’re more than welcome to strike up a dialogue with me in the comments below, in the comments on this post about my first experience at a club in BCN, or by using the site’s contact form. You can also email me directly at russ@marijuanagames.org. I’ve helped many people acquire membership at a Barcelona cannabis club, and I may be able to do the same for you.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP
(This is a preliminary application process valid as of 2018; not all who apply will qualify for membership based on Spanish law and club policy. Application for membership is general and is not necessarily applied to any particular club unless the applicant fully qualifies.)
EDITOR DISCLAIMER: This post was originally written in 2013, but received substantial edits and additions in September 2018 and was republished accordingly. Hence, you may see dates on comments from several years ago, though the publishing date of the newly revised and expanded post is 18 September 2018.
- Barcelona Cannabis Club Review: Green Age - March 23, 2022
- Things to do after Smoking Weed in Barcelona - March 2, 2022
- 9 Things You Need to Know about Cannabis Clubs in Madrid - February 15, 2022
498 thoughts on “10 Things You Need to Know about Barcelona Cannabis Clubs”
Hey Russ ! First of all congratulation for your website ! Very coooool, interesting and helpful.
I’m contacting you for information, so i’m 20, from france and i will come barcelone in April.
Before find your website i managed to contact 2 canabis club ( and they agree that i come ) the two club is : LA RAMBLA DRAGON and A.L.A, do you know this club ? Are they good ?.
Clubs in your review are really cool and good but the minimum age is 21 ….. So do you know a good club in the same spirit with a 18 minimum age ..?
Sorry for my bad english … Keep this up for you website !! Thanks
Hi Clement; Sorry, but many of the clubs in my reviews allow members who are 18+. Alhambra, for instance, is where most people who contact me under the age of 21 ultimately get membership without any troubles. I am not familiar with A.L.A., but I am familiar with Dragon and recommend the club for people who like very tourist-oriented places. Personally, that style is not for me. However, there’s nothing that says you can’t join more than one club and try out different styles to find out what you like.
Hi Russ!
I am staying in Barcelona for a week. In a hotel at carre de balmes, not too far from la rambla. Any good clubs you recommend nearby?
Hi Russ!
I have also tried to contact you for a few days. All my emials bounce back and I have tried sending from both gmail and hotmail.
I’m in Barcelona at the moment but will stay a while so no worries but you should know it’s impossible to contact you at the moment.
Today I discovered a ABCDA club in carrer de mar in Barceloneta! Don’t know if you know about it since your review was for a different address. Would be great to get into tjat one since its very vlose to the beach.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Adam;
Yes, I did know about ABCDA in Barceloneta; it is a different branch of the one in my review. It’s very small and just meant for quick in-and-out service. Anyway, I will hit you up on email.
Hi Russ, I love your articles. I sent you an email a while back, but it never went through. Would you mind emailing me so we could discuss memberships when I come to visit Barcelona in the summer?
Thanks so much, keep up the good work!
Hey Russ, awesome article man very handy indeed. Me and 3 mates are doing a trip around Europe in July/august and would be looking to join a club. Any help you could offer would be much appreciated!
Greetings Russ!
So I’ve reading your articles (How to get marijuana in Barcelona and 10 Things you need to know about Barcelona Cannabis Clubs) and I have some questions I wish you could answer. I would also like to know if you could help me suceed in getting a membership card. Could you maybe contact me through email? Or can you give me one so I can contact you? Thank you and great website! 🙂
Hi Russ,
Great site!!!
I tried to contact you by email but it bounced back today. Did you get it?
Thanks
Hello russ, we are visiting barcelona from today till saturday and want to join a social club. Can you help us here?? Please contact me directly be email. Thanks and regards martin
Hi Russ. Same question as Mr. Celli, but in the Costa Almeria region
Hi Sharon; I’m not familiar with that region, but our marijuana directory should be helpful. Just search by the specific towns you are looking for weed in.
Hey Russ. Just got to hotel santos porta fira. Totally hoping you could point us in the right direction !
Brilliant thankyou Russ do I just comment on this to get in touch with you
You can use Russ@MarijuanaGames.org. <<<>>>Sorry everyone, this said a different domain extension and so some emails were getting bounced back. Please use russ@marijuanagames.org to contact me, or you can use the site’s contact form without any trouble.
Hey Russ could you help me with a membership
Hey Russ am coming to Barcelona in May and I was hoping you could help me with a sponsor would be great to hear from you for some info thanks
Hi Sam;
Great, we look forward to seeing you in BCN! It’s too early to arrange anything now, but if you email me the day before you arrive in the city I will be happy to assist you. peace -Russ
Hi Russ,
My boyfriend and I just arrived in Barcelona and are staying for the week. We are looking for some marijuana and the Cannabis Clubs sound perfect but we are just visiting for a short period of time. If you could e – mail us with some suggestions that would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Victoria
Hi Victoria;
The only safe and legal option I know of is for one of you to join a club, get what you need, and then bring it wherever you want. I’ll send you an email to see if I can be of assistance. Peace -Russ
Hi Russ.
Thank you for a very informative article. Just what i needed 🙂
Im in Barcelona for a few months and would appreciate getting a reference/sponsor for a club, if possible.
Im staying in Born, near Jaume metrostation.
Regards,
Tomas
Hi Tomas;
Thanks! Are you in Barcelona now? I’ll send you an email with more info. peace
Hi Russ,
Thanks for the info on this website, just wondering if I could get some more info!
Cheers
🙂
Hi Russ,
I have sent you an email, appreciate if you can assist me 🙂 all the above comments sounds cool but still need your assistance,
thank you
Whoops, just caught this now, but I actually already replied via email. 😉
Hello Russ! I moved to Barcelona this year, and I am interested in getting a membership, and after reading some of your reviews I was thinking about 420 club. If you can help me with that, please contact me . Thank you 🙂
Hi there! Congrats on moving to Barcelona – isn’t it an incredible city? 420 club is great too, I’ll send you some more details about it via email. Thanks for stopping by! Peace -Russ
Hi Russ,
Thanks for all of your information. I’ve read a bunch of your articles and they’re very helpful.
I arrived in Barcelona last week and I’ll be here for the next 6 months with several other people who will probably also want to go to the clubs. How soon after I get membership would I be able to sponsor them and is there a limit to sponsorships?
Also, are you able to suggest some good ones based on my preferences? Somewhere central, fairly intimate and very cosy would be great. A friendly kind of place that just feels like someone’s living room. If not, no worries.
Thanks for your help,
Nicholas.
Hi Nicholas;
Ah! Good questions. I thought I covered everything in the post, but this is a good point. Once you become a member, there is a 24-48 hour waiting period for most clubs. Some might require a longer waiting period, but I haven’t run into any of those yet. After the waiting period is over, you may sponsor your friends for membership. I’m not certain about limitations but as with all things related to cannabis right now, we want to keep things quiet and discreet until the powers-that-be pull the stick out of their asses.
The three most centrally-located clubs that I recommend the most are Alhambra, 420 and Dragon. Anyway, I’ll send you an email and we can discuss it more. Thanks for stopping by!
Peace
-Russ
VERY INFORMATIVE FOR US THANKS SO MUCH, MY HUSBAND AND I WILL BE VISITING IN APRIL 16-18 AND ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED
Hi Pam;
Thanks for your comment! You’re coming to Barcelona right after spring break, so your timing should be pretty good. 😉 I’d be happy to help you, just email me the day before you arrive in BCN and we’ll go from there. Until then, PEACE -Russ
Hi Russ!
I’ve read all of your articles and reviews of clubs the last few days. Good job!
I’m going to Barcelona in mid february and will be staying for three months. I dont know anyone there and can only speak a few words of spanish. It would be great if you could sponsor me for atleast one of the top clubs. I’m also interested in joining a club with spanish lessons (are there any more than Kush offering this?).
Have a nice day! Kudos for your work!
Hi Adam;
Thanks for checking out the site!
Yes, a number of Barcelona’s cannabis clubs offer Spanish lessons in addition to Kush. I’ll check it out and let you know prior to your arrival. Just email me the day before you arrive in BCN, and I’ll take care of everything.
Peace
-Russ
Hey, I’m visiting Barcelona, early feb an d looking to have a nice smoke before taking in the culture and architecture, i’d appreciate it if you could hook me up with a sponsorship!
Hi Russ
Amazing article!
myself and fiancee just arrived Barcelona last night
& tried to have somewhat herbal enjoyment 🙂
I;m currently stay at the hotel near Catalunya area.
Please help us out the get some herbals (don’t matter club membership or just get some herbals). Since we are from Dubai we need it haha
Hi Andy;
Welcome to Barcelona! How long will you guys be around for? I’d much rather see you get sponsored for membership than buy off the street, so look for an email from me with more details.
😉
Hello Russ!
Nice articles, I LOVE Barcelona and planning on returning in March around Spannabis. I’ve heard about these clubs and would be great if you could help me with a membership! Hook me up with some details?
Saludos desde New Mexico! 🙂
Hello Russ,
I’m a relatively recent Barcelona resident, and I only just heard about the clubs. Since I don’t know too many people yet, I’m not sure how to go about joining one. So I was wondering if you could help me out?
Great work you’re doing!
JC
Hey Russ
I’m going to be staying in Barcelona for the next few months and wanted to look into getting a membership. Ideally if there was something in the sagrada familia area with decent prices. Let me know if you can help me out!
Hi Andrew;
Cool, the Sagrada Familia area is nice. Are you in Barcelona already? If not, when will you arrive? I’ll send you an email with more details.
Evening Russ,
May I first say thank you for the information that you provide here on the website, this is truly amazing insight which has changed my view of Barcelona and Spain completely.
I am looking to take a holiday to Barcelona from the UK in the upcoming weeks. Would I be able to ask you for a reference to a Club?
Best Regards,
R.C.C
Hi Robert;
Thank you for your comment. I’ll send you an email with more details about getting a cannabis club membership in Barcelona.
Hi Russ
Nice article man. I’m not In Barcelona till October but if you could hook me up with a club near Aribau, 226, Sarrià-St. Gervasi, 08006 Barcelona. I like to be prepared mate.
Hey Colin; thanks! Just hit me up the day before you arrive and I’ll get you sorted, no problem. Until then, peace!
Hi Russ,
I’ve just moved to live in Madrid from the UK.
can all the above be related to Madrid CSC or are you aware of any major difference?
I’d love to stop buying it off the streets. but more important is the fact that with the annual fee you allow CSC to give free weed to people who actually need it for medical purposes…
Do you have an address to give me of a CSC in Madrid?
thanks!
Hi Mr. Celli;
I am not 100% certain, but I believe the laws are applied the same across Spain. The cannabis clubs in Barcelona exist because of liberal privacy laws in Spain, which are the same in other regions. So I believe clubs should operate pretty much the same in Madrid. I’ve never been so I can’t be sure which clubs are good, but we’d love to hear about it if you check one or two out! Here’s two sources from our directory which you can use to find cannabis clubs in Madrid:
1.) Name: FIA – Federación Ibérica Antiprohibicionista (FIA – Madrid)
Business Listing Type: Madrid
Address: Magdalena, 29 – 2º izda. 28012 Madrid
Contact Email: antiprohibicionismo@yahoo.es
Phone Number: 637 13 08 70
2.) Name: Asociación de Estudios sobre Cannabis Sur de Madrid (AECANSUR)
Business Listing Type: Madrid
Address: Porto alegre 4 posterior local 4 28925 Alcorcón
Contact Email: aecansur@hotmail.com
Phone Number: 916 10 20 91
Please let us know what you find. 😉
Peace
-Russ
Keep up the good work Russ, this article is just about what was missing to help people understanding the scene in Barcelona!
Thanks, Nancy!
I don’t know if you have heard about MR GREEN that offers successful cannabis tours around Spain for tourists or locals. I contact him looking for a tour in Spain and he said to me that he will give me the tour and take to a good club. DO NOT CONTACT MR GREEN FOR CANNABIS PRIVATE CLUBS TOURS, this guy kept the money and never replied back, I bet I’m not the only with a bad experience with this guy but I’m writing this to warn you guys about MR GREEN. Bless
Warning received, thank you. A number of people have reported being ripped off by Mr. Green, so you are not the only one. Sorry mate. Peace -Russ