What is a
Cannabis Social Club?
Many people mistakenly relate Amsterdam’s Coffee Shops with a Cannabis Social Club in Barcelona. The main difference between the two systems is that a Cannabis Club is based on a non-profit organization, and it is only accessible by registered members. Amsterdam’s Coffee Shops, instead, openly sell cannabis to the public.
In the next section we will talk about the features of these two concepts.
Cannabis Social Club
Cannabis Clubs are able to provide cannabis products to their members thanks to the same members monetary donations. In the same way are covered the facility’s maintenance and premises costs. Each club differs in terms of dispensary availability and quality, some of them may have a long list of marijuana strains, hashish, edibles and extracts available to their members, when others may not have much choice.
Many clubs have entertainment centers, live music and organize music events or informative meetings exclusively for their members.
It is common to have access to a little bar with coffee, water and drinks, and sometimes snacks.
The Atmosphere of a CSC is after all what members appreciate the most. Either if someone is in a club for therapeutic purposes or recreational purposes, they will find a easy-going environment, where it is a pleasure to socialize with other members. Usually people over 21 years of age, depending on the club, are allowed to access the Cannabis Social Club in Barcelona if provided with an invitation from a member already registered in the club. The registration process requires the new member to show personal information with a valid identity document. Additionally, some social clubs require you to have a photograph taken and stored.
Coffee Shop
Vs
Social Cannabis Club
Many people mistakenly refer to Barcelona CSCs as Coffee Shops for the analogy with the well-known Amsterdam Recreational Marijuana Coffee Shops. These realities are two of the few existent in Europe and, nonetheless, the most known in the world beside the American medical and recreational dispensary system.
Here we are going to list objective considerations on the general features of Coffee Shops and Cannabis Social Clubs.
Notice that is impossible to define an absolute evaluation of the two. The following is only a general overview and we want to underline that every entity’s activity differs from each other.
Amsterdam Vs Barcelona
Marijuana Quality and Availability
Due to the fact that access to Amsterdam Coffee Shops is easy and quick, it is common for someone who is looking for a particular strain or product, to go and find it in a particular shop. Amsterdam’s cannabis quality is top level, even if the strong commercialization can end up sometimes with high top-shelf prices and in a not very fresh product or, worse, over-dried.
Even though, generally, Coffee Shop Customers are satisfied because of the easy-availability and the possibility to discover every coffee-shop without having to become a member, just walking in.
The Cannabis designated to the distribution among the members of a private club is made by the hands of the member themselves.
This is why Cannabis Social Clubs offer a product that from a romantic point of view can be considered grown with love.
The fact that Barcelona Cannabic World is not comercialized as the well-known Dutch model, enable CSCs members to find fresh products.
Ambience and Atmosphere
The fact that these places are a strong touristic attraction leads to high affluence at any time of the day.
Cannabis Social Clubs have a more privacy-oriented approach with members, who are not customers, but associates.
Nobody can just walk in and become a member, there is a procedure to follow to be accepted, and clubs not always have the possibility to accept new members, for several different reasons. Members of the same club are more likely to socialize and talk with each others than the customers of a Amsterdam Coffee Shop. CSC can turn out to be a perfect friends where make friends.
European Cannabis Social Clubs
Code of Conduct
Due to the lack of a legal framework with regards to cannabis cultivation for personal use, cannabis consumers throughout Europe have initiated a model of regulation and control.
This model, called the Cannabis Social Club, aims to prevent cannabis consumers from being involved in illegal activities and assures that certain requirements concerning public health and safety are being met. Cannabis Social Clubs (CSC) are registered, non-profit associations, that are formed by legal adults who consume cannabis. They can be set up legally in any country where cultivation of personal amounts of cannabis has been decriminalized. According to article 12 of the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights of the European Union, everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association at all levels.
Legality
The new norm, also positively welcomed by the Federation of Cannabis Social Clubs in Catalonia, envisages a number of rules to be respected for clubs with the aim of avoiding social problems, providing substance information to members and limiting the phenomenon of cannabis tourism , which in recent years had reached remarkable proportions in Catalan territory. The rule consists of various recommendations that each cannabis dispensary will have to respect. Briefly:
A Cannabis Social Club is a non-profit organization which main objective is to reduce the health and social risks inherent within the black market, by producing different varieties of high quality cannabis without contaminants, and exclusively distribute among their members within the Association.
Non-profitability
Open to dialogue with authorities
Public health oriented
Transparency
Supply follows demand
Want to know more about Sweet Oil Cannabis Club?
What are the requirements to be a member of our club?
If you wish to join a cannabis social club you need an invitation, according to the Code of European Cannabis Social Club. There are requirements to be satisfied to obtain an invitation and join a cannabis club in Barcelona.
Cultivation within the Association
Cannabis Social Clubs Legislation requires that clubs organise their cannabis cultivation based on the exact amount of the yearly private consumption of its members. This amount may be increased with a reasonable buffer to counter the risk of failed harvest, theft, and provide for ’emergency stash’ for people who consume cannabis for medicinal reasons. The internal rules of a CSC include a protocol about the management of this eventual surplus.
The methods of cultivation, post-harvest treatment etc. shall meet up to the standards of biological agriculture with sustainable use of natural resources. Inspections are also carried out randomly by representatives of the association, to verify the location, safety measures and estimated volume of production.
Authorities
Unlike cannabis distributors who operate on the illegal market, Cannabis Social Clubs are willing to enter into dialogue with authorities to provide insight in their working methods in order to create a legal regulation of cannabis. Local authorities should have an interest in such a regulation, which will enable them to control the CSCs to ensure their transparent and safe way of working; thus with helping to prevent the access of minors to cannabis, reduce public expenditure and generate tax revenue.
Cannabis Social Clubs have an interest in such a regulation as it will ensure the legal status of their organisation and its activities.
Cannabis Social Clubs Values
Cannabis Social Clubs Legislation foresees transparency, democracy and non-profitability. They function as an association, with complete openness about financial arrangements to their members, so the members can see how the costs are calculated and how money is spent. CSCs organize a general assembly at least once a year, where annual reports are discussed and approved.
Cannabis Social Clubs may decide to employ staff members, who can receive reasonable remuneration. Thus they contribute to the creation of employment, economic re-activation and savings on the budget for law enforcement.
No-profit organization
FAQs on Cannabis Social Clubs
Can I join a cannabis club without invitation?
Can I buy weed in a cannabis social club?
Is cannabis club's membership free?
Can I ask about clubs around the street?
In CSCs, can I get weed and smoke it outside?
Can I trust street promoters?
Looking for a membership?
There are requirements to meet in order to obtain an invitation and join a cannabis club in Barcelona, according to the Code of European Cannabis Social Club. Check them out!