THE legality of cannabis consumption and cultivation in Spain is murky, with consumption and cultivation being decriminalised, but only if done in private.

To put it simply, cannabis trafficking and transportation on public roads is illegal and punishable with prison time in Spain, while possession, consumption and cultivation at home for personal use is decriminalised — meaning it isn’t technically legal nor illegal. 

This means that consuming the substance in the privacy of your home is not a crime, as long as it isn’t visible to the public. 

The same is true for cultivation — you are allowed to grow cannabis plants at home as long as they’re intended for personal use only, and that they aren’t visible to neighbours or pedestrians on the street. 

Spanish law expressly prohibits “the execution of acts of illicit planting and cultivation of toxic drugs, narcotics or psychotropic substances in places visible to the public” in the absence of a criminal offence — a violation that’s punishable with fines as high as €30,000. 

What this means is that if a neighbour sees your plants — which may happen if they’re left on a terrace or patio, for example — they are technically visible to the public and therefore a violation, in which case your neighbour can report you to authorities.