The Green Years: The Cannabis Movement in Spain and its Mobilizations

With the biggest cannabis culture event in Spain taking place next week, we revisit the activism and history of the movements for the liberalization of the plant in the country of 'nuestros hermanos', in a text written by ConFAC, with the collaboration of Juan Carlos Usó Arnal and the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum.

The famous San Canuto, which is always celebrated on January 19th

It is difficult to say when the demonstrations against drug prohibition began. According to historian Juan Carlos Usó Arnal, we can consider that the anti-prohibitionist movement began in London in 1966, when The International Times (or IT) magazine was published and a demonstration was held in Hyde Park, where more than 5.000 people gathered.

In the US, National Marijuana Day began to be celebrated in 1972, and in the summer of 1974, the first issue of the legendary High Times magazine appeared. From that year on, a multitude of public events cannabis cups, demonstrations, meetings, assemblies, workshops and campaigns began to take place all over the country, providing energy and paving the way for free access to the cannabis plant without criminalizing users, a path that continues to this day. 

In Spain, one of the festivals that brings the most smiles is San Canuto. Although the only connection between the plant and this saint is its name, prayers are said and joints are lit in his honor on January 19th.

The first documented celebration of San Canuto was held in 1979 at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, which was a real scandal for society at the time. It was later popularised at the Autonomous University of Madrid. In the 90s, these events grew in popularity and began to take place outside of universities, and began to be held in several cities, such as Vigo, Barcelona, ​​Seville and Alicante. 

The World Marijuana March in Madrid

Poster for the “Legalise Pot Rally” in Hyde Park, London, 1967, designed by Martin Sharp

In 1997, the first World Marijuana March was informally called in Madrid and consisted of a demonstration in Puerta del Sol, attended by less than a hundred people. It is worth noting the fortuitous presence of Andrés Calamaro*, who donated a radio cassette to the cannabis movement. Since then, all the marches have been accompanied by music of one genre or another, in different formats. 

Over the years, the Madrid marches have gained popularity, visibility and participation. Around the year 2000, one of theThe newspaper article incorrectly counted the number of protesters, describing in its publication that only 200 people attended. From that moment on, the organization decided to count the number of people present, distributing green balloons to the participants. On the first occasion, 500 balloons were distributed. From 2010 onwards, the number of people began to increase, with the last marches already consisting of real crowds of thousands and thousands of people, but, to this day, around 1.000 green balloons are always distributed symbolically. This event has gone through several phases, but has always maintained its spirit of protest. 

On May 6, 2023, the 26th edition of the World Marijuana March took place in Madrid, under the slogan “For fair social regulation, for a future without gags: Cannabis Law now!”. Although many countries are regulating cannabis, partly based on the Spanish model of Cannabis Associations, due to last-minute impositions by the Spanish authorities, the traditional march had to be transformed into a simple rally in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, under strong police pressure. 

Without a doubt, in Spain there is still a long way to go.

*Andrés Calamaro is an Argentine singer, songwriter and producer; leader of the band Los Rodríguez, which had great success in Spain in the 1990s. He has become one of the main icons of Argentine rock in the last two decades.

The green balloons, in addition to adding color to the march, help to count people's participation in the protest.

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This article was originally published in issue #10 of CannaDouro Magazine
Images: ConFAC, AMEC, ALACANNABIS, La MACA, Marihuana Television, Revista CÁÑAMO.

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