CCC Culture
Apr 5, 2024
Barcelona's worldwide cannabis event from a Coloradan's perspective
Ever wonder what it's like to attend an international cannabis event from the perspective of an American? If so, you're in the right place.
Spannabis has been Europe's biggest cannabis event since 2002. Taking place in Spain, cannabis vendors and enthusiasts from around the world gather to celebrate this amazing plant that unites businesses, cultures and people abroad. The 2024 edition included over 280 international exhibitors, and nearly 4,000 professional guests.
While walking around the venue, the diversity of the attendees is immediately apparent. I heard numerous languages being spoken, saw international apparel, and interacted with people with varying backgrounds. Starting a conversation with someone can be challenging because you can't assume anyone's primary language, but I was never disappointed in an attempt to engage during my single day experience.
Despite language barriers, I communicated with most people in broken Spanish (secondary language for many attendees since the event is in Spain), combined with body and sign language. More times than not, I found the common communication grounds to buy items from vendors and exchange sentiments with fellow enthusiasts.
This brings me to my next important point that many reading this may be wondering about...consumption of cannabis at the event.
On the official Spannabis website, event organizers stress NO SMOKING AT THE EVENT. With that in mind, I didn't attempt to stop at one of Spain's cannabis clubs beforehand or anything like that, so I just consumed edibles on the way and played it cool...but I ended up regretting that decision, because I was one of the few people at the event who DID NOT have a joint.
Luckily, that all changed when I met a German or Russian man (he was speaking one of these languages but I couldn't discern) who was smoking a fat joint in the middle of the event. I attempted to speak to him in Spanish with "Donda esta el joint" - roughly meaning "where is the joint?". He didn't quite know what I said until I motioned like I was smoking with my hands.
After that, he pulled out a bud for me to have from his coat pocket. I was elated, so I reached in my backpack (you can bring bags by the way) and gifted him some CCC merchandise. He bumped his chest with his fist as if to tell me he had mutual respect and appreciation for our interaction. This is the essence of what Spannabis meant to me - a rarely experienced cannabis cultural exchange I've never encountered anywhere else in the world.
All in all, I'd highly recommend attending Spannabis if you ever get a chance because it's a unique experience to see how other people around the world experience cannabis. The companies/vendors vary widely, offering everything such as genetics, gardening tools/nutrients/fertilizers, grow lights, papers/grinders/accessories, and so much more.
Don't just take my word for it though, check out the following video highlights from my experience below!
The song used in the video is "International G Shit" by Neako. Make sure you stream that!