Spain’s PSOE political party, which has been in power in the country for over 30 years, has rejected the regulation of cannabis after other parties introduce three proposals to permit recreational use.
Despite cannabis being the most commonly used drug in Spain, the Government on Tuesday indicated that it had no plans to regulate the use of medical cannabis for therapeutic uses.
Euro Weekly News reports that 19.3% of young adults between the ages of 14 and 18 in Spain have used cannabis in the last 30 days. The potential risk to young people is one of the reasons quoted by the government for rejecting cannabis reforms.
The rejection follows the introduction of proposals by other political parties, Más País, ERC and Podemos, to regulate cannabis for both medical and recreational uses. Also at odds with the government, an astonishing 90% of the Spanish public reportedly believe that recreational cannabis should be allowed.
The first of these proposals is to be voted on today (20th October, 2021), however, it is unlikely to be approved following a debate yesterday.
While all would legalise cannabis for recreational uses, each bill approaches the reforms in a slightly different way.
According to, Isabel Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the party, the PSOE rejects the regulation of cannabis without first passing an authorisation for therapeutic use.
While cannabis is still technically illegal in Spain, the country’s cannabis members’ clubs have made it a hotspot for tourists. It is estimated that the 400-500 established clubs have been attracting millions of tourists every year, in addition to the estimated four million local consumers.
Tourists are actually prohibited from being members of cannabis clubs, however, many have found ways around these restrictions – particularly in cities such as Barcelona which see a high influx of tourists every year.
The debate around making medical cannabis products available on the Spanish healthcare system is ongoing, even though the first cannabis-based medicine has already arrived in the country.
