- Indoors
- Greenhouse/Garage
- A Medicinal Growing Operation
- Cannabis Clubs
The Four Best Places in Spain to Grow Cannabis
Most places in Spain still do not allow the consumption or cultivation of cannabis. There are some exceptions to the rule, though, and it definitely depends where you are and if you are a citizen. Growing your own cannabis is out of the cards entirely if you are not a citizen. Even finding somewhere to smoke will be hard for tourists. When it comes to big growing farms in Spain, there are none. Even in the areas where it is legal, only the companies approved for medical growing and investigating therapeutic uses for cannabis are allowed to have growing operations. Still, though, the growing operations are usually done indoors and are quite small. It isn’t unheard of for neighbors to complain of the smell to police, though, but as long as they have the proper paperwork, nothing can be done. It goes to show that the widespread legalization of cannabis is finally making its way to Spain, though. There is an autonomous community that just passed a law to legalize the consumption and cultivation of cannabis, but I will get more into that later. It is always better safe than sorry when you are dealing with something that could end up giving you a criminal record. Growing cannabis in Spain is something you can definitely get in trouble for if your neighbor decides to call the police over a certain smell or even possibly seeing it. If this happens, you aren’t protected with the proper paperwork, your operation is shut down and confiscated, and you could face a fine or jail time.The four best places to grow cannabis in Spain are:
-
Indoors
- Barcelona
- Madrid
- Valencia
- Girona
- Seville
- Malaga
How many plants can I grow?
Unfortunately, the legislation in Spain is also vague when it comes to what is considered the maximum limit for personal use. Cultivation and intent to sell cannabis in Spain is illegal and punishable by a fine at the very least. Rumors have spread that having as many as ten plants can still be considered for personal use, but again, these are just rumors. The legislation doesn’t state for or against this. The grey area resides here: The line between an offense and a criminal act is blurred because growing cannabis plants in Spain is not stated as a crime. It is only considered a crime when there is an obvious intent to sell. Therefore, a blind eye is often turned when someone says they are growing for personal use, or even as an ornamental plant. It is not until the person profits from it financially that the line is crossed. That said, if you are caught with 5,000 plants in your home, this may read as an intent to sell in law enforcement’s eyes. At that point, it’s almost impossible to turn a blind eye.Best Online Seed Shops Based In Spain
Editors Choice
Royal Queen Seeds
Editors Choice
Pyramid Seeds
Editors Choice
Sensi Seeds
Equipment necessary to grow your own cannabis:
-
Greenhouse or Garage
If you want to grow your own cannabis, but you do not have space in your house to do so, a garage shed, or even a greenhouse, would be your next best option. This may not seem like the most private option, but either way, it is still relatively safe.
The one thing you must keep in mind when choosing to grow your own cannabis is that it must be out of sight from the public. You can’t simply have a garden in your back yard and then decide to add a few cannabis plants to it. There are safety concerns that a child could come up and grab some. Not only this, but if your plants are in the sight of the public, it could be perceived that you intend to sell or give it away.
Even if you live in an apartment complex with a balcony high about street level, you cannot grow cannabis on your balcony. There is something else to be aware of if you should decide to start growing your own cannabis. Whether you are growing cannabis in your home or a separate building on your property, it is important to be aware of your electricity.
Electricity:
If an electrical company has reports of extreme usage of electricity coming from one home, they may feel so inclined to turn this into authorities as suspicious activity. It is known that cultivating your own cannabis requires an excessive amount of electricity compared to the average homeowner. If you show up on the radar with an electric bill that is suddenly sky-rocketed, it will draw some unwanted attention your way.
People have also been known to steal electricity from businesses and other places to hide the fact that they are growing cannabis in their home. In fact, in Granada, there is a worker from the local electrical company that has been working with authorities — giving information on homes that have unrealistically high electricity usage and assisting police on raids.
That said, if you are only growing one or two plants in your home, this will not most likely not cause enough of a spike in your electricity usage to have anyone questioning anything. Going along with this, you are also a lot less likely to have your neighbors complaining of a smell if you are only growing one or two plants. It is the homes that are growing numerous plants that tend to draw unwanted attention from neighbors and electrical companies.
-
A Medicinal Growing Operation
The cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic purposes is legal in Spain. Working for a company that cultivates for medicinal purposes is really the only other way to be a part of the cultivation process. Just because you work for this type of company, though, doesn’t mean you will be allowed to consume any of the products. The product is grown for research purposes only.
Growing cannabis or medical or research purposes has been authorized to a number of companies so far. These companies include:
- Canamo and Fibras Naturales
- S.L. (Cafina)
- CIJA Preservation
- S.L. DJT PLANTS
- Phytoplant Research
- Polytechnic University of Valencia
Since 2017 there eight more applications for authorization in process. Four of which are for medicinal purposes, and the other four are for research purposes. More and more people want to learn about the plant and what it can do for us medically. Because of this, the public is becoming more aware of the plant and less fearful of it.
Spain is beginning to see the financial and medical benefits of legalizing the cultivation and consumption of cannabis, making them one of the more progressive countries in Europe to date. Catalonia has a lot to do with this.
How does a company send in an authorization application?
They must first have a contract with the supplier of seeds or cannabis cuttings, along with documentation that justifies that said company has the authorization to obtain these seeds or cuttings. If the seeds are for CBD use only, they must be obtained through a specific seed company. After this approval, a follow-up is made through annual reports. Reports that acknowledge the results and activities carried out for that year.
In the application letter, the company must also clearly state that the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products can carry out inspections whenever they feel necessary. During the inspection, the company must provide all data related to the project that is required.
Requests for cannabis cultivation are made every single day, but most of them do not make the cut. Simply because they do not have a viable reason for research, or they didn’t fill out the authorization application correctly. Spain is strict about who gets to cultivate as there are already a number of organizations doing so for medicinal or research purposes.
-
Cannabis Clubs
Catalonia has led the way for the legalization of the consumption and cultivation of cannabis since 1993. This has been a region of Spain known for its fierce independence for years now. Since 1993 though, Catalonia has been participating in the consumption and cultivation of cannabis in their private cannabis clubs. All of this started because of a decision made by a drug prosecutor in Barcelona, which caused a semi-legalization in all of Catalonia.
That is when an entire cannabis club system was born. A cannabis club is a place where adults can go to purchase and smoke cannabis for a small fee. It wasn’t until 2017, though, that the region of Catalonia actually legalized the consumption and cultivation of cannabis for and within cannabis clubs.
You must be a member of the club to gain access, which usually requires a two-week waiting period. The idea behind this waiting period is to discourage the privilege of short-term tourists. You also must be an adult to be considered for membership within a cannabis club.
Currently, cannabis clubs are allowed to cultivate 150kg of dried cannabis a year to support their clients. 18 to 21-year-olds can buy up to 20 grams per month, while all older adults can purchase up to 60 grams. They also suggest leaving your cannabis in a personal locker when you leave the establishment because possession and smoking in public is still illegal.
Growing Cannabis for CBD Usage in Spain
CBD oil is legal in Spain, as long as it is sold barring the label, “for external use only.” While CBD edibles are still illegal to sell, the people of Spain are allowed to buy CBD oils, tinctures and creams legally. The distributors, manufacturers, grow shops, and online vendors operate in an area of the market that permits them to sell CBD as long as they follow certain rules.
One of the rules being the amount of THC allowed in any CBD product sold. Any product with CBD oil in it cannot contain more than 0.2% THC.
Cultivation:
This is another grey area of the legislation in Spain because the cultivation of cannabis plants for the usage of CBD is allowed. That said, though, all seeds for cultivation must be sourced from the Approved European Hemp Seed Catalogue. If you are growing your own cannabis for the later purpose of making CBD, you also must have authorization forms from the following:
- Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Products
- AEMPS
There are currently five companies in Spain that have these authorizations and can cultivate cannabis for research purposes. CBD is considered “research” because of its medicinal properties. This is another reason why it has become legal because the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes is now legal. CBD is free of psychoactive agents, and thus its medical use is now legal throughout Spain.
Medicinal uses:
Although CBD oil usage is a relatively new concept, a lot of research has been done. There are a lot of medicinal benefits of CBD oil, and some of them include:
- Reducing stress, anxiety and depression symptoms
- Reducing inflammation
- Reducing pain and swelling associated with arthritis
- Promotes bone growth
- Acts as an antibacterial
- Reducing nausea and vomiting
- Acts as a neuroprotector
- Helps with a balanced sleep cycle
- Improves digestion
- Improves concentration
The cultivation and consumption of cannabis in Spain is a highly debated topic. There are grey areas in the legislation that allows for the cultivation of cannabis, whether it be for personal use medicinal. There are areas within Catalonia specifically where you can smoke cannabis for a small fee and also purchase personal amounts, but the country as a whole is still pretty far away from full legalization.
Regardless though, possession of anything under 10 grams has been decriminalized throughout the country, but if you are caught growing cannabis in large quantities, that is when law enforcement will likely put you in jail for a time. All in all, when growing cannabis in Spain, it is better safe than sorry. Learn the laws in your area and follow them directly to avoid any unwanted trouble.
How to Grow High-Quality Marijuana: A Beginner’s Guide
If you’re intrigued by the concept of growing your own marijuana plant, you’re not alone! With millions favoring cannabis to any other substance and more and more states legalizing it, the pot is more than a passing trend. Read more…