ABSTRACT

A large-scale social and public health experiment is currently underway in Spain. The “Cannabis Social Club” (CSC) model emerged 20 years ago and now, hundreds of CSCs open their doors daily in Spain. However, there is no clear legal framework in place to regulate their operations or to protect the rights of people who use drugs (PWUD). The different levels of government in Spain have adopted approaches that clearly contradict one another: while municipal and autonomous communities have taken initiatives to regulate CSCs, other branches of government have been insisting on prohibition. As a result, the directors or managers of CSCs run the risk of being sentenced to years in prison or forced to pay steep fines. The Spanish cannabis movement is an example of perseverance and commitment to changing the state’s approach to drug policy to one that guarantees the fundamental rights of PWUD. It has even gone so far as to challenge the rulings of the highest courts of the country on this issue. This chapter analyses the evolution of CSCs in Spain and recent legal, political and social developments in this area.