May 2022 - Oregon Leaf

THE TRAVEL ISSUE

Dank Destination

cannabis in catalonia

44

ThispastMarch Iwas in Barcelona,

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LA SAGRADA FAMILIA AND THE SURROUNDING BARCELONA AREA

sitting with European street artist Soklak and puffing on a joint apparently filled with Runtz from somewhere in California … if the label is to be believed. “You look like the Daniel Craig of weed right now,” I blurted out, which is just the kind of icebreaker that could either kill the conversation or take it to the next level. Thankfully, we were all pretty stoned – so we had a good laugh and talked about Soklak’s vision for the future of Cannabis hospitality in Europe. Soklak is the art director for CRTFD in Europe. CRTFD is a California-born plant medicine-centric lifestyle brand that does everything from providing artists with regularly paying work, to operating Cannabis social clubs and producing high-quality streetwear. The brand’s Barcelona location is in the city’s old Gothic Quarter, which is a labyrinthine neighborhood with dark, twisting streets. Roman ruins, bars and nightclubs, Modernist architecture and medieval landmarks are the aesthetic markers of the quarter, making it a popular destination for tourists due to its history and proximity to the port, though many tried-and-true locals live here, too. During high season, large cruise ships dock in Barcelona (considered the

MAY 2022

Mediterranean hub for the world’s cruising industry) and in their limited hours on shore, many of the boats’ inhabitants end up exploring the Gothic Quarter’s narrow avenues. The streets were uncharacteristically empty on the drizzly Sunday morning I walked through the city and across La Rambla to CRTFD from the stylish and affordable Hotel Brummell in Poble Sec where I was staying. It’s a route I’ve walked many times before. I actually used to live in Barcelona – I got married, did a lot of restaurant, wine and travel writing, and spent a lot of time partying and hanging out in the capital city of Catalan culture. The city’s Cannabis culture wasn’t new to me, either. I have been a member of Circulo, which is just around the corner from CRTFD, for around five years.

As far as weed culture in Spain is concerned, Barcelona is definitely the country’s epicenter. In fact, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that, thanks to a crackdown on weed tourism in Amsterdam, Barcelona has emerged from Covid as the clear titan of European Cannabis. The distinction is based on the city’s evolving and growing cultivation and hash cultures (still illegal and therefore underground), along with its positively buzzing private social club culture that operates in

CRTFD’S SOKLAK AND THEIR CLUB.