R.I.P. José 'Pepe' Mujica, cannabis hero and 'poorest president in the world'
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica was the first (and still only) head of state to legalize cannabis, in 2013. He lived in a sober house and drove a...
Spannabis is Europe's largest cannabis fair and has been held since 2002. With the discontinuation of the Highlife fair in the Netherlands and looser regulations in Spain, the organizers saw an opportunity and started Spannabis. Only a 2-hour flight from Zaventem and 20 minutes by cab, you are already at the venue.
The first thing that stands out, besides the pleasant smell, is that this is a fair for consumers. Europe's cannabis community gathers here for three days to celebrate, honor the benefits of the plant and discover the latest developments on the market. Most of the major players in the market, including 250 exhibitors such as Storz & Bickel, Stundenglass and Mascotte, have booths there. In addition to the four main halls, there is a central plaza with performances, food trucks and a lively atmosphere.
Social clubs in Barcelona, where THC cannabis is tolerated, also attract many visitors, but not without risk. About 15 clubs and their visitors were extra strictly controlled by the police (we ourselves were in the NPK club during such a control). This year there was also extra police presence in Barcelona itself due to the fact that, despite the policy of tolerance, smoking cannabis in public is not tolerated. At the fair itself, however, this was not much noticeable, even in the halls people hardly bothered about the smoking policy.
The many visitors (60,000!) carried empty backpacks to fill with free goodies handed out at most booths. If you know well-known cannabis influencers, activists or entrepreneurs, this is the best chance to bump into them and have a chat.
Those who would like to experience this event in 2025 should keep an eye on the website spannabis.es, as the next edition is already scheduled for March next year. Maybe Green Grown will even have a booth then 😉 Are we going by bus?
