Spain (Cannabis Clubs) & Netherlands (Coffeeshops) - Compare and Contrast

[RvanSteensel]

wow im slacking on my online fuckery lol
didnt notice this thread till today wtf

I only visited Zanzi in BCN and Guest in LasPalmas GranCanaria
Both blew the netherlands away by far .
The grancaria was exclusively outdoor and greenhouse weed at that time ( 3and 4 years ago)
most of them were kinda moist when u got them , 1 hour bag open was necesarry most of the time ,'
but then the bud would be góód !

Zanzi in BCN had pretty much everything i could ask for , tho some strains were overpriced
i could see myself smoke their haze everyday lol ( only 6 euros wtf )
The store itself is a bit boring , but very clean and superfriendly staff !
The interior of the shop kinda reminded me of maryjane maastricht lol

[FenixNYC]

Great post and highly informative.

Living in the States, I've always compared Amsterdam's coffeeshop scene to the recreational storefront (Colorado) and dispensary setups (California) I've visited when I've spoken to people about it. Really interesting to learn more about Spain's club scene, as I honestly did not know such a thing even existed.

[RoMoney]

Since this thread kicked off again I decided to do a post Spannabis update (my 5th Spanish trip in 15 months)

Access: In the Netherlands access is much easier as there is no membership and you can simply get off a train and head to the nearest coffeeshop anywhere, with the exception of the few places holding out with the wiet pass (e.g. Breda, booooooo Breda!). In Spain you will need to plan ahead, especially for access to better places with more reasonable prices (contacting them on Insta or getting a referral via a member depending on club policy etc). It's also a pain as while there recently with Kenshiro we only had one common membership which makes things hard compared to Netherlands where you can go to any coffeeshop for a smoke with others you meet. While the access generally speaking is a plus for the Netherlands, I will say in defense of the membership system, I've never met a stag party in a cannabis club, though I'm sure they make it to some near La Rambla. Outside of Barca, access seems to be easy on the Canary islands and some of the other more tourist resorts, but less so in other Spanish cities where tourists seem to be more shunned though Madrid does seem to have a scene. Would be interested to hear from people signed up to clubs outside of Barca.

To use a line I used in another thread.....joining a cannabis club can be as easy booking a restaurant.....so while I was a bit dramatic about access initially, the more often I go, and now that I've joined clubs in two separate places (Barca, Tenerife) I think in Spain access is not such a big deal except for more exclusive places. It's always easier to walk in off the street, but the Spanish system is not so hard to navigate.

Cost: While I suppose cost does vary widely Barca is generally cheaper. In my experience I've found great strains at half the Dutch prices

Continue to find many strains in Barca at half the price you find them NL. In Tenerife the better weed was more similar prices to NL. I came in under budget in Barcelona again as well which is easy when Diesel is €7/g

Quality: I find the quality in Barca to be much higher, but I've been very lucky in that I've never been to a shit Cannabis Club. It has to be said Papi and others did a good job at joining many initially and weeding out a lot of the shit! Kudos

Barca knocks it out of the park here, it really does. Tenerife was ok and in NL when you go to the right places you can still get good stuff. Spain continues to have an advantage here. Better and cheaper, that's a great combo.

City layout: This is specific to Amsterdam vs Barca, but I think 420 made me realise I prefer Amsterdam as a city and it being so compact, compared to the more expansive Barca, makes rambling about as a melting mess much easier. The canals and the architecture appeal to me more too as much as I'm enjoying my Gaudi journey. After my recent trips though I'm now much more comfortable with Barca and making my way around and being able to make it between clubs on auto-pilot is so helpful when you're in bits. Also getting to know where eateries, toilet stops, parks etc. are in between your clubs makes for a more enjoyable trip. The park game in Barca is pretty good too, the surrounding hill parks are something the poor lowlands could only dream of

This time I didn't stay close to La Rambla (tourist centre) but stayed further south near La Kalada and Park Mirador. This definitely made for a better trip.....it was quieter, easier to smoke outdoors with the park beside me and the views from Park Mirador are pretty epic. Will defo be staying in that area again the next time.

[Sanchez_]

Nice update! That south westerly direction from Rambla is indeed quieter and a lot better to consume in general with the added bonus of less tourism carnage. Mirador is beautiful and as a smoke spot has to be up there with one of the best views in the southern vicinity of the city.

[RoMoney]

Establishment layout: Clubs are way more spacious, there's no pressure to buy and you can bring in your own food, in fact they've given me plates, cut fruit for me etc. etc. in the clubs so they are beyond helpful, drinks are usually all around a euro versus coffeeshop rip off prices. Also while the clubs do feel like a business to an extent you feel way more at home and less rushed than in a CS and for example while a rude bud tender is common I find the staff in the clubs to be fantastic. Barca wins here, but due to access you don't get to experience as many clubs unless you fork out lots on memberships.

With each trip I've more thoughts on this whole subject and keep feeling the need to add to it. After my recent trip to Zuid Holland I thought it worth mentioning that I had pretty much nothing but pleasant experiences with bud tenders so perhaps my comments above should be reserved more for Amsterdam.