We are aware that cannabis can impact the daily lives of its users in many different ways, and most campaigners quite simply want to improve quality of life and French society.

As well as the health benefits that cannabis use can have for those with certain illnesses, we are determined to address the violence and criminality surrounding drug-dealing in certain communities.

We want to ask ourselves how we can be good parents, and solve the problem of children dealing drugs, since many of us are responsible adults in our 40s or older.

As the event comes to a close, I realise that my experience conflicts with most official views about cannabis smokers. These people are responsible adults who happen to enjoy smoking weed recreationally, or use it for medical reasons. They have families, they pay their bills, and if you saw them on the street you probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from the rest of the crowd. They are living proof that Cannabis Social Clubs can legally exist and add value to any society, while reducing crime in areas where illegal street deals would otherwise dominate. Anyone who says that smoking pot leads to criminal behavior needs to experience a Cannabis Social Club first and have a re-think.

During the ’Spannabis 2013’ Cannabis trade fair in Barcelona, Spain Spannabis Near Dark-Team meets Joep Oomen of ENCOD. He informs us about european news & updates concerning ’Cannabis Social Clubs’.

Cannabis Social Clubs are associations of citizens who organise the cultivation of a limited amount of cannabis to satisfy their personal needs. They establish a closed circuit of production, distribution and consumption in agreement with legal standards that are valid in their country.

At the moment, Cannabis Social Clubs are legally operating in Spain and Belgium. There may be possibilities to set up a club in any country where the consumption of cannabis is depenalised.

We have been informed that some people whose aim is to end cannabis prohibition in the UK and Ireland are in the process of establishing Cannabis Social Clubs.

We count on these clubs to respect the Code of Conduct of the European Cannabis Social Clubs that was edited in december 2011.