Cannabis: legal or not?

Information and questions about the Law in Spain and Andalucia.
WoodlandHills
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Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby WoodlandHills » Fri Jun 26, 2015 7:11 pm

I have read of new laws that permit personal use at home as well as clubs to purchase. If I have residency can I legally join a club and can I legally smoke on my patio or in my home?
Is it permitted to grow a couple of plants for my own personal use on my private property assuming I purchase a home in Spain?

El Cid
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby El Cid » Fri Jun 26, 2015 7:19 pm

You could try Googling it.

http://www.cannabis-spain.com/legal/

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WoodlandHills
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby WoodlandHills » Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:34 pm

I did that first. But knowing the letter of the law tells one nothing about how it is interpreted and enforced, thus my questions here. Are cannabis clubs open to expat members by law and in practice? Will smoking cannabis while drinking a sundowner on my patio be a problem? I live in California and am permitted to consume on my private property without fear of the police, according to Spanish law the same seems to apply. Is this true in practice?

El Cid
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby El Cid » Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:14 pm

I'm not sure if we have any drug addicts on this forum, but you never know.

Step forward guys.

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johnr
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby johnr » Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:48 pm

Think you'll have hundreds of drug addicts on this forum, unless we're picking and choosing our definition of drugs now? ;)

BENIDORM
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby BENIDORM » Fri Jun 26, 2015 11:35 pm

To be honest I don't think that this type of question or information seeking is what this Forum/ Information website is really able or willing to answer or discuss..
Although I have never used cannabis or any other drug, I do have a good understanding of the problems that it causes, having worked with many 'street people' who basically are totally 'wrecked' because of it.
So , I would suggest that you just stick to Googling for your information, or do without !
Just my personal opinion, I don't know how other forum members feel about it.
Regards,
Gordon

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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby scotty » Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:12 am

So you live in California (a sunny climate)and you an smoke hash to your hearts content on your own property . . . . . Why would you even think of coming to Europe ? You will have to contend with currency rates . . . . Europeans that don't think like Americans . . . . And different laws and police forces.

Oh yea . . . . No matter what you think, everytime you buy a joint you help organised crime. I've 20 years experience with the enemy and all hash etc comes through organised crime.

WoodlandHills
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby WoodlandHills » Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:23 am

I can see being unable to answer due to lack of experience, knowledge, etc. but how is this the sort of question that the site is unwilling to discuss. Surely the fact that cannabis is legal in Spain indicates a certain local social acceptance even if the expat culture is mostly alcoholic. I don't think of cannabis as being "drugs" any more than I do beer or any other legal intoxicant and it seems the Spanish do not either.
If questions regarding beer, wine, sherry and general drinking are OK and they do seem to be, then what's wrong about asking about something that is widely understood to be harmless compared to alcohol? And which is legal in Spain..... Have I come across a generational divide here?
I did notice a few questions back in '09 when searching the forum, but was hoping for more recent feedback.

WoodlandHills
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby WoodlandHills » Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:30 am

scotty wrote:So you live in California (a sunny climate)and you an smoke hash to your hearts content on your own property . . . . . Why would you even think of coming to Europe ? You will have to contend with currency rates . . . . Europeans that don't think like Americans . . . . And different laws and police forces.

Oh yea . . . . No matter what you think, everytime you buy a joint you help organised crime. I've 20 years experience with the enemy and all hash etc comes through organised crime.

Haven't smoked hashish in decades. My marijuana mostly comes from my own garden here in Los Angeles and it has for almost 10 years. I grow, harvest, cure and consume on my own property u dear a state permit. So where is the criminal connection? While rarely I go to the cannabis shop I can be assured that they source their product from legal licensed growers who are supervised by state and city officers. Again where is the criminal connection?

WoodlandHills
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby WoodlandHills » Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:36 am

BENIDORM wrote:To be honest I don't think that this type of question or information seeking is what this Forum/ Information website is really able or willing to answer or discuss..
Although I have never used cannabis or any other drug, I do have a good understanding of the problems that it causes, having worked with many 'street people' who basically are totally 'wrecked' because of it.
So , I would suggest that you just stick to Googling for your information, or do without !
Just my personal opinion, I don't know how other forum members feel about it.
Regards,
Gordon
You may be right about people being wrecked due to cannabis, I have only been smoking for 49 years so perhaps it just takes time. Anyway I think I need to ask this at a younger forum.

johnr
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby johnr » Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:55 am

You may be right about people being wrecked due to cannabis, I have only been smoking for 49 years so perhaps it just takes time. Anyway I think I need to ask this at a younger forum.[/quote]

Amazed by the answered you've received. I've not smoked for years but as you say it's legal in Spain and you're just trying to get some straight answers. Maybe you should have asked about where to get the cheapest but crap 60c a bottle wine and you'd have got loads of answers.

johnr
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby johnr » Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:57 am

BENIDORM wrote:To be honest I don't think that this type of question or information seeking is what this Forum/ Information website is really able or willing to answer or discuss..
Although I have never used cannabis or any other drug, I do have a good understanding of the problems that it causes, having worked with many 'street people' who basically are totally 'wrecked' because of it.
So , I would suggest that you just stick to Googling for your information, or do without !
Just my personal opinion, I don't know how other forum members feel about it.
Regards,
Gordon
So you've never drunk alcohol? Or is that not a drug in your mind?

And none of the street people you've worked with have had their lives wrecked by alcohol?

BENIDORM
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby BENIDORM » Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:37 am

Well ..like I said ...'my personal opinion'.

Yes I do enjoy a drink of alcohol which I buy from the supermarket, I don't buy it from some 'seedy' person on a street corner who is under the control of criminal organisation.

I know some people here in Spain grow their own cannabis for 'personal use' and for so called medical use, that's up to them, but I don't like to see anyone trying to encourage other people to take up the habit, usually young and impressionable people.
I'm not commenting about cannabis in a naive way, I've really seen the problems that it causes to the user and their families, and I've lived in the US and know the situation there.

Many of the 'street people' that I've had dealings with have been alcoholic's and it is a big problem and I wish I could do something about it.

Nearly every time I watch Spanish television there are reports about large quantities of cannabis and other drugs being 'captured' by the police, and I think that if you do move to Spain you will maybe find that the police 'turn a blind eye' , but I think that will change sooner rather than later, like it has in Holland.
Maybe you would be better to stay in the US and enjoy the 'Devil You Know'.

No further discussion from me about this subject.
Regards,
Gordon..

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Mowser
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby Mowser » Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:12 am

Anyway I think I need to ask this at a younger forum.
Eh? Do you think it's only young people who smoke dope?
Dave

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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby El Cid » Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:19 am

WoodlandHills wrote: but how is this the sort of question that the site is unwilling to discuss.
This forum is not unwilling to discuss this subject. Only one member has made that comment and that is just his opinion.

As one of the forum moderators, I am quite happy to continue the discussion. If I was not, the thread would have been deleted.

Sid

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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby johnr » Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:25 am

BENIDORM wrote:Well ..like I said ...'my personal opinion'.

Yes I do enjoy a drink of alcohol which I buy from the supermarket, I don't buy it from some 'seedy' person on a street corner who is under the control of criminal organisation.

I know some people here in Spain grow their own cannabis for 'personal use' and for so called medical use, that's up to them, but I don't like to see anyone trying to encourage other people to take up the habit, usually young and impressionable people.
I'm not commenting about cannabis in a naive way, I've really seen the problems that it causes to the user and their families, and I've lived in the US and know the situation there.

Many of the 'street people' that I've had dealings with have been alcoholic's and it is a big problem and I wish I could do something about it.

Nearly every time I watch Spanish television there are reports about large quantities of cannabis and other drugs being 'captured' by the police, and I think that if you do move to Spain you will maybe find that the police 'turn a blind eye' , but I think that will change sooner rather than later, like it has in Holland.
Maybe you would be better to stay in the US and enjoy the 'Devil You Know'.

No further discussion from me about this subject.
Regards,
Gordon..
Just because you can buy it at a supermarket doesn't mean it's not a drug. If we started from a blank piece of paper, alcohol would rightly be classed as more dangerous than many illegal drugs.

Glad you accept that many of the 'street people' you've dealt with have alcohol problems. I'd go further and suggest that more 'street people' have had their lives ruined by alcohol than cannabis. That's certainly my personal experience. But I don't understand why you are so against cannabis because you've known 'street people' who smoked it but not against alcohol when you've seen the damage it can do?

I'm not against either but I am pro-education about facts and the damage any drug can do. But don't forget, people take drugs - including alcohol - for a reason and they won't stop any time soon. That's why it's important people learn real facts. Telling people to go away and not ask questions doesn't help.

Even the UK has changed now. Personal use is basically ignored unless blatant. A man was given a 'cannabis caution' in Manchester the other day because he blew smoke in the face of a passing police officer. Go back a few years and he would have been arrested and charged.

Why is the questioner encouraging anyone to take up 'the habit'? Let alone kids - do you really think many kids read this forum? He's asking a question about the law in Spain in a forum called 'You & The Law In Spain'. Do people get as aggravated when someone mentions speeding, going around roundabouts incorrectly, using tap water to fill up a pool, washing cars, putting rubbish in bins outside set times or any of the other many crimes and misdemeanours most of us commit in our hosts' country?

Woodlandhills - sadly you might be right about asking elsewhere but don't let this put you off moving to Spain. It's a lovely country and not all immigrants are miserable Daily Mail-reading gin-and-tonic-drinking old farts. Just about 70% - and you can spot them a mile away and (try to) ignore them.

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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby katy » Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:44 am

Mowser wrote:
Anyway I think I need to ask this at a younger forum.
Eh? Do you think it's only young people who smoke dope?
Exactly. Tends to be ageing men who harp on about it. Like Gordon I shan't be joining the discussion, totally inappropriate for a family forum :thumbdown: Probably only a wind up anyway.

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Mowser
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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby Mowser » Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:48 am

Exactly katy ... a wind-up.
Dave

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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby chrissyboy » Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:25 am

WoodlandHills wrote:
BENIDORM wrote:To be honest I don't think that this type of question or information seeking is what this Forum/ Information website is really able or willing to answer or discuss..
Although I have never used cannabis or any other drug, I do have a good understanding of the problems that it causes, having worked with many 'street people' who basically are totally 'wrecked' because of it.
So , I would suggest that you just stick to Googling for your information, or do without !
Just my personal opinion, I don't know how other forum members feel about it.
Regards,
Gordon
You may be right about people being wrecked due to cannabis, I have only been smoking for 49 years so perhaps it just takes time. Anyway I think I need to ask this at a younger forum.
Hello WoodlandHills.
I am in Cordoba province and adhere to my two plant limit every year and also enjoy a 'sundowner' on the privacy of my own patio. My local Guardia Civil enforce the two plant limit and will take action if you exceed that number. The local GC have actually seen my plants growing on my land and have reminded me of the two plant limit and gone on their way.
The important factor for me is discretion. I don't smoke away from home or carry any by either car or motorbike as I don't need the complication involved.
Acceptance of cannabis varies from area to area. Some the local Spanish are very conservative in their outlook and so I respect that. However, a few kilometers up the road in Granada you can find cannabis clubs and people smoking openly. Even further away in Madrid it is grown openly on balconies.

Come September time there is the possibility of plant thieves which is the main danger. If you don't tell anybody then you can minimise the possibility of any theft. My plants are grown out of sight and the finished article is kept on the premises. By taking that tack I avoid any problems.

As for the 'street people' that you can see in the cities they are there for a number of reasons and cannabis is not that reason. Their problems mainly centre around alcohol and cocaine which is rife over here. Alcohol is the main culprit as it is cheap and available everwhere. Couple that with social, domestic and financial problems and you have your answer.

The amount of alcoholics amongst the expat community is absolutely staggering. There is no shortage of expat boozers slowly drinking themselves to death in either the campo or on the costas. However, that's ok as they can afford it.
The biggest hypocrisy is labelling cannabis users 'drug addicts'. I have been a user for nearly forty years and still not addicted. I run, ride mountain bikes and train at the gym three times a week and lo and behold I can string sentence together.

The climate is perfect for personal cultivation and some excellent sativas can be grown but they must finish before end of October otherwise the weather gets them.
Discretion is your friend.

Hope this helps.
chrissyboy

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Re: Cannabis: legal or not?

Postby Nimrod » Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:27 am

Mowser wrote:Exactly katy ... a wind-up.
My thoughts too...a lot of puff and blow.


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