Who the members were
Cannabis club membership can be a lasting social relationship. A study published in 2024 examined activity records for 2,007 members of five Barcelona clubs between 2017 and 2020. Men accounted for 80% of the sample, and the reported mean age was 36.1 years. The study describes a particular group of established clubs, rather than all cannabis consumers in Spain.
A relationship measured in years
Mean membership lasted 657.3 days, approximately one year and ten months. The researchers describe the clubs as places for socialising as well as cannabis-related activity. This duration matters: repeated contact gives the institution a different social rhythm from a one-off visit. The study was conducted by Anna Obradors-Pineda, José Carlos Bouso, Joan Colom and Jakob Manthey. Its membership records document continuity; they do not provide a personal interview with every participant.
What participation means in an association
Under Spain’s association law, members have rights to participate in activities and governing bodies, vote under the statutes, and receive information about the organisation’s management and finances. The general assembly is the association’s highest governing body and must meet at least annually. Membership therefore includes a potential role in decisions: budgets, elected representation and internal rules belong to the organisation’s collective life, alongside conversation and informal friendships.
Rights when there is disagreement
The same framework requires a hearing before disciplinary measures and a reasoned decision. Members can challenge decisions they consider contrary to law or the statutes, and membership is voluntary: a person can leave at any time. These rights give belonging an institutional foundation. A welcoming atmosphere and a functioning association are related but different qualities; the latter includes access to information, a voice in governance and a fair process when conflict arises.
Sources & further reading
General information, not individual legal or medical advice.