Spain: Congress rejects proposal for full regulation of cannabis

The Plenary of the Congress of Deputies of Spain debated yesterday, Tuesday, a Proposal for a Law by the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which aimed to regulate cannabis in an “integral” way. This was the second time, in this legislature, that the comprehensive regulation of cannabis for therapeutic and recreational use was debated, but the proposal was failed again, with votes against by PSOE, PP, Vox and Foro, and votes in favor of United We Can and the rest of the left, plus PNV and Cs.

The project, presented at a press conference in September 2021, intended to “decriminalize” cannabis and consider it a prescription drug. The specific proposal also allowed access to recreational cannabis to be carried out through home cultivation or non-profit associations, establishing that each citizen could grow a maximum of six plants at home and produce a maximum of 480 grams per year. In addition, the Bill also included resources to combat addictions and raise awareness of the negative effects of cannabis use.

A year and a half ago, Congress debated another similar initiative, this time by Más País, which was also rejected by the PSOE, PP and Vox and supported by the rest of the left and Unidos Podemos, which made visible the difference in criteria in this matter between the government partners.