Cannabis Social Clubs in Europe: a transnational green movement?

• In Event: Social Media, Crime and Activism

Abstract

This presentation draws on a study of Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) in Europe. CSCs are typically defined as non-profit associations of adult cannabis users who collectively produce and distribute cannabis among themselves. These social movement organizations have developed a wider repertoire of protest, with a view to contribute to a reform of cannabis laws. Since the appearance of the first CSC in Spain during the 1990s, many other countries have seen the emergence of such organizations. In this study, we map the presence and actions of CSCs across the European Union (EU), considering whether and how they are connected.

Identification and recruitment of CSCs was based on: 1) exploratory online searches, including on social media; 2) snowballing through our network of contacts (building on previous research); 3) a dedicated website. The participating CSCs received a 30-item questionnaire (translated to all the EU official languages), which was completed by 81 CSCs. Beyond Spain and Belgium, where the CSC presence had already been documented, we identified CSCs in 11 other countries. We will present and discuss the repertoire of action of CSCs from 13 European countries, and the degree to which a transnational cannabis movement has arisen.

Authors

• Mafalda Pardal, Institute for Social Drug Research, Ghent University

• Tom Decorte, Ghent University

• Melissa Bone, University of Leicester

• Òscar Parés, ICEERS