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What can we expect as small businesses start opening up again?
After two months of confinement, everyone is getting excited about the prospect of recuperating at least a part of the life we used to know. Of course, the cannabis industry in Spain is also getting ready to get back into action. We still need to be very careful though and realise times have changed.. No more hanging around, getting high with your friends. Social distancing is here to stay for now and strict procedures will have to be put in place for Cannabis Clubs to restart responsibly.
Guidelines for Clubs
To at least provide some clarity in these times of confusion, the ConFAC (Confederación de Federaciones de Asociaciones Cannábicas) has recently published ‘Good Practice Guide for the unconfinement of private spaces for cannabis consumption’. This guide sets out recommendations and precautions for the clubs to keep in mind as they start operating again, and takes into account the key aspects of virus containment and the recommendations indicated by the Spanish government. The complete guide has been published in Spanish on the website of the non profit and can be found on the main page: confac.org
Impact of the crisis
The organisation also provides a clear motivation for this guide as there is an urgent need for both practical solutions for Cannabis associations, as well as more long term political solutions for this now undeniable industry. In these weeks of quarantine, about 10.000 jobs have been lost in the sector, most of which without any benefits to fall back on. Thousands of consumers have been left out in the cold as well, having to rely on unreliable old-school distribution or shady darknet dealings.
Different international entities have warned of the risks involved in not guaranteeing access and we see that in places where cannabis has been regulated, it has even been deemed essential. We should learn from our experiences and use this moment to drive change towards sensible regulation.
Debating the integral regulation of cannabis involves talking about job creation, income that the State can dedicate to public services… The experience of regulation in Canada, part of the US and Uruguay indicates this.
- Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Second Deputy Prime Minister
Barcelona and Madrid on the side-line for now
While clubs in cities like Bilbao and Sevilla will be able to attend to members again this week, the majority of consumers in both Barcelona and Madrid have to be patient for now. We´re not there yet, any spike now in new cases and it´s back to zero. Obviously the big cities have a huge challenge ahead, trying to balance healthcare with the fragile economy. Madrid and Barca will have to remain shut in Phase 0 for the time being, hoping for a sharp decline in new contagions, less patients in ICU and, most importantly, less people succumbing to this horrible virus. At least we seem to be heading in the right direction.
CCS ready to restart
For anyone operation in the Spanish cannabis industry, it´s a given that you need to be able to quickly adjust to changing rules and regulations. This is definitely an advantage in times of rapid and unpredictable change.
In the past weeks CannabisClubSystems has gone through some big changes and several new features have been added, specifically focussed on the New Normalcy that awaits us. Not only can clubs invite members to schedule appointments in an organised way, it´s now even possible for members to place orders in advance.
Clubs using our system will notice many other updates and improvements. CCS has made the most of this crisis and is looking forward to a brighter future.
