In Barcelona, more than 80 shops linked to cannabidiol (CBD) products are now operating, compared to fewer than thirty in 2019, according to the municipal census of ground-floor businesses analysed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN). The growth is not a passing trend: it reflects a change in how CBD is bought, regulated, and informed about in both Catalonia and the rest of Spain.
The phenomenon gained momentum from 2019, coinciding with a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued in 2020 that endorsed the marketing of legally produced CBD within the EU, provided that the THC content (the psychoactive component of cannabis) does not exceed 0.3%. This legal framework has allowed the opening of shops selling oils, buds, cosmetics, and vaporizers derived from hemp, without the business being illegal.
Javier Díaz Martín, head of the specialised blog “Los mejores humos” and advisor to cannabis clubs and grow shops for over twenty years, explains that the rise of CBD has a substitution logic: many consumers see it as an alternative to tobacco or THC cannabis, without the side effects associated with the latter. According to Díaz, the compound offers a relaxing and calming effect, but without the adverse effects of THC. The expert also points out that Barcelona attracts tourists from countries where cannabis consumption is normalised or less persecuted, which has spurred the proliferation of shops, especially in the city centre.
Not all players in the commercial sector view the growth with the same calm. Pròsper Puig, spokesperson for Barcelona Comerç (an association that groups over 25,000 businesses across 23 commercial axes in the city), acknowledges the notable increase in this type of shop, especially in high tourist pressure areas like Ciutat Vella. Puig calls on the City Council to strengthen inspections to verify that these businesses comply with regulations and do not create unfair competition against shops that do bear high rents within the law.
That request is not rhetorical. In a joint operation by the Guàrdia Urbana and the Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, 28 shops in the city centre were inspected, revealing 145 violations, in addition to opening two criminal proceedings for offences against public health. 1,800 items were seized, more than half for indications of containing cocaine extract, hashish, or other substances. The controls came shortly after the Spanish Government banned HHC, a semi-synthetic cannabinoid that does produce psychoactive effects and which some shops were marketing alongside CBD, taking advantage of the confusion between the two products.
This confusion is, precisely, one of the points that most concerns regulators and specialists. CBD is not classified as a narcotic, but there is also no single law in Spain regulating its sale: it is governed by different regulations depending on whether the product is cosmetic, technical, or for consumption. The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) oversees that no CBD product is presented with medical properties without having gone through the authorisation process as a medicine. And in March of this year, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) confirmed that cannabinoids, whether natural or synthetic, cannot be added to food or sold as dietary supplements unless there is specific authorisation at the European level.
What Consumers Should Consider Before Buying
With a market that has tripled in five years and regulations that vary according to the product format, the responsibility to buy wisely largely falls on the consumer themselves. Before purchasing CBD, it is advisable to check the product's origin, its composition, the available labelling, and the information provided by the seller. A properly labelled product should indicate the percentage of CBD, the THC content, and ideally, provide access to an independent lab analysis that certifies both data.
Sector reports for 2026 point in the same direction: the Spanish consumer no longer buys on impulse. They compare prices, check reviews, demand traceability, and value brand transparency over promises of miraculous effects. The average price of CBD has dropped by around 15% compared to the previous year, making it easier to access higher quality products without skyrocketing expenses.
In a context where consumers seek more information before buying, CBD has become a category that demands transparency, clear labelling, and basic safety criteria. No serious seller should present their products as treatments for diseases or guarantee therapeutic effects: that remains the exclusive domain of medicines authorised by the AEMPS.
The sector is at a turning point. Barcelona Comerç compares the current situation to that of electronic cigarette shops, which experienced a similar boom before stabilising: from 25 shops exclusively selling vapes in 2019, it dropped to just 17 in 2022, only to rise again to 27 in 2024. If the pattern repeats with CBD, a natural culling of the sector can be expected in the coming months, where shops capable of providing real guarantees of origin, analysis, and regulatory compliance will survive, while the Generalitat and the City Council maintain vigilance over a market that, despite its legality, continues to generate doubts among consumers and authorities.
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