I know that by now it’s cliché to say so, but 2020 has been a ridiculous year for everyone in all sectors. From the confinements to curfews, Spain is taking more hits than DJ Khaled’s laptop, and by far the hospitality industry is taking it the hardest.
Spain is a tourist destination, and has been since forever. We live off of the money that foreigners graciously bring us when they visit from their countries — but ever since the paella and sangria stopped flowing due to the coronavirus pandemic, so has the flow of tourists and their hard-earned dollars, pounds, yen, and so on.
Weed During Covid-19
Cannabis culture, on the other hand, hasn’t suffered as much as the bars and clubs in Barcelona have. We operate cultural centers in Spain, and this gives us a little more leeway than an open-to-the-public bar or nightclub. Cannabis associations have definitely taken a hit, don’t get me wrong — clubs are now doing a quarter of what they were doing pre-Covid. The drop in business is noticeable, thanks to the lack of tourists.
Clubs are now limited to 30 percent of their total capacity, which makes it difficult to operate, since that number leaves most clubs with a total of seven to 10 people allowed in at a time, including staff.
The club I run has a maximum amount of eight people allowed in at any given time, and we have three people working at most times. Now we have to operate as a semi-dispensary, which allows club members to retire goods — but they can’t hang out.
Remember,
cannabis associations are private places for people to be able to smoke in, legally. Once a member leaves the club, they are at risk of being stopped and searched for whatever reason, and can find themselves with a ticket for possession.
