Barcelona City Council's "Crusade" against cannabis associations continues.

At least five cannabis user associations in Barcelona have reportedly been closed after receiving a notice from the City Council months ago requiring them to temporarily close. More than thirty associations received this notice last year.

Three of Barcelona's closed associations are being walled up by City Council workers.

In 2019, a ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia suspended the 2016 special urban planning plan for the regulation of cannabis clubs and associations in the city, finding that it encroached on state jurisdiction over criminal law. In 2021, the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the city council's appeal, and the court's decision became final.

In 2015, Barcelona City Council, chaired since June of that year by Ada Colau after winning the municipal elections with Barcelona En Comú, decided to act to curb the proliferation of

Interior of an association in Barcelona

cannabis user associations in the city, a moratorium on openings was ordered, so no associations were opened for one year and four months. During that time, the City Council, through an open commission with all political groups and civil organizations for the study of these entities, worked on the creation of regulations that, without being contrary to the rights of cannabis users to open an association, sought to limit the opening of new associations and require both new ones and those already operating at the time to meet a series of urban planning and safety requirements. Since 2016, these types of associations in Barcelona could continue their activities under a specific urban planning license called "Cannabis Smokers Club." During the time the moratorium lasted until the commission's conclusions were issued and the new license was made public, around three dozen associations closed, most of them in the Ciutat Vella district.

Following the implementation of the urban planning license, more associations opened throughout the neighborhoods, maintaining the distance limits between schools, healthcare facilities, and associations themselves, as well as complying with all other requirements, reaching around 280 throughout the city. This continued until 2021, when the City Council sent a notification to all associations informing them that the 2016 license was suspended and that, from that moment on, these types of entities would be licensed as "Private Clubs."

The City Council wants to close all cannabis clubs in the city.

The Catalan city council has complied with the High Court's decision to suspend the "cannabis smokers' club" license. Furthermore, various political parties currently in power (PSC, PP, VOX, and JUNTS) have stated that they will "do everything possible to close all cannabis associations." However, since 2021, more than thirty entities registered as cannabis user associations with a "Private Club" license have opened. These entities have often opened their offices very close to other existing ones, as the license regulating these aspects is currently suspended. Therefore, they also have no limitations on the square meters they can occupy, which were previously limited to 200 square meters.

Although more than thirty new associations have opened after the 2016 license suspension, it is the former associations that held that license that received temporary closure notices last year and have been struggling for months with the administrative and legal procedures to appeal these closure orders. Some of these thirty associations that received the notices have exhausted all means to halt the process and have decided to close voluntarily or have been closed by agents and technicians from the City Council. At least three associations have been sealed and even bricked up.

According to data revealed by the Deputy Mayor for Security, Albert Batlle, the City Police filed more than 70 complaints against these associations between 2024 and 2025. Specifically, 58 during last year with 39 inspections of premises, and 14 in the first three months of this year, with 10 inspections.

The City Council currently has around fifteen legal disputes filed by the associations. Attempts have also been made to close another establishment on Freixures Street, but inspectors were denied entry and the closure could not be carried out.

Given this situation, civil society organizations and cannabis-related entities are holding meetings to try to bring together as many of these organizations as possible to study strategies and joint actions aimed at halting these closures and finding proposals and solutions for the future.

Likewise, the cannabis party Luz Verde has called for a silent rally this coming Thursday, July 24th, in Plaza Sant Jaume in front of City Hall to express the discontent of cannabis associations and members of these associations with repressive policies and the attempt to close their venues. The cannabis community is called to gather from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM.