Cannabis to debate: from social recognition to the regulatory challenge
The regulation of cannabis in the Spanish State continues to face important challenges. This talk will address the main recent political processes—some still unfinished—around this issue. On the one hand, it will critically analyze the role of the Study Commission on Drugs in the Madrid Assembly, promoted by a political majority opposed to regulation, which has instrumentalized this institutional space as a vehicle to reinforce stigmatizing discourses toward cannabis and its users. On the other, it will discuss the implementation of medicinal cannabis regulation by the Ministry of Health, a process now completed but with very limited regulatory scope.
Likewise, the persistent blockage in developing the pending regulation for Article 83 of the Basque Country’s Addictions Law—which recognizes cannabis user associations—will be examined, as well as possible pathways for progress in this area.
An open dialogue on margins, institutional obstacles and opportunities for progress within the State’s regulatory framework.
Ayem Oskoz
Graduate in Social Work. Member of the Basque Parliament for EH Bildu. Member of the Health and the Welfare, Youth and Demographic Challenge committees.
Jorge Moruno
Sociologist and member of the Madrid Assembly for Más Madrid. Author of La fábrica del emprendedor (2015) and No tengo tiempo. Geografías de la precariedad (2018), where he analyzes transformations in work and precarity. His career combines social research, political thought and institutional communication.
Bernardo Soriano
Codirector of S&F Abogados, with more than fifteen years of experience in the legal field related to cannabis and its regulation. He has actively participated in drafting regulatory proposals, notably his role as author of the Bill for the Comprehensive Regulation and Control of Cannabis for Adults. He is vice president of the Cannabis Hub and has coordinated the legal area of an expert certificate and postgraduate program on cannabis promoted by the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), respectively.