Albert Tió and Victor Segues, two members of the Barcelona Airam cannabis association, were sentenced to prison over a cannabis grow destined for members of the cannabis club. They are the president of the FEDCAC (Autoregulated Cannabis Association Federation of Catalonia) and Airam, Albert Tió, and his ex-secretary Victor Segués, who were sentenced to the Lledoners Penitentiary center.
Now you csn find out more about the story and motives behind this book, which Cali Terpenes is sponsoring, with a fantastic prologue by the famous activist Steve DeAngelo.
Luz Verde a la Libertad – New Book!
If you don’t know what we’re talking about, here’s a little context:
History: Cannabis Activism in Spain and Repression
These two activists were sentenced to 5 years in 2020 due to belonging to the directors board of the AIRAM social club, a registered association which has a license and would have been perfectly legal if the Catalonian Cannabis Consumption Association act had been passed – this law was passed originally and then revoked by the constitutional court.
After exhausting all resources and receiving their sentence from the Supreme Court, Albert Tió reported the injustice and vulnerability that those who, like him, are attempting to promote organizations that encourage responsible consumption.
The thing is is, due to the lack of health regulation on the black market, cannabis clubs were created as a tool to guarantee safe products and distribution, and allowing consumers access to a reliable product. This is something that’s incredibly important for any consumer, although more relevant for consumers that use cannabis medicinally and require certainty, as well as more safety measures and detailed information on the cannabinoid and terpene content in the cannabis.
Cannabis Clubs in Spain: An Unfinished Dream
Over a decade ago, cannabis clubs became quote popular in Spain and became a model for many other European countrties, and began the start of legalization on the Peninsula.
The increase of cannabis clubs in Spanish territory was clear, and many believe believed that much-anticipated change and freedom was on its way. However, what seemed to be the start of legalization soon turned into a legislative grey area that has caused the imprisonment of Albert Tió and Victor Segués, as well as an incredible confusion when it came to Spanish legislation.
Responsable Consumption and Cannabis Associations
The idea behind consumers associations is, as we were saying before, guaranteeing consumers’ access to a safe product, reducing the health risks associated to consuming cannabis, normalizing growing, consuming and distributing cannabis and its derivates; this is what happens in dispensaries in countries such as the US where cannabis has been regulated, at least on a state level.
Responsible laws and decriminalization of growing and consuming cannabis in Spain has been, for years, the objective of the authors of this book, a fight that has landed them in Lledoners prison. Both Albert Tió and Victor Segués believe this is an injustice and it proves that increasing the debate surrounding cannabis legislative changes and regulating cannabis associations is an urgent task.
Writing as Therapy in Prison
The authors of this book guarantee that the project didn’t start out as such – when they began writing they didn’t have any intention of turning their thoughts into a book. In fact, they say that it was something to help them emotionally process the experience their were going through. Writing turned into a way to run away from negative thoughts, as well as increasing their strength in the face of adversity.
From the day they were first placed in prison, they began to keep a diary that, later on, would turn into a double narrated chronicle. A book that, not only narrates their particular case, but also attempts to serve as a tool for people to develop the capacity to survive painful and unjust situations in life.
Feli Ibañez was the editor in charge of giving this book its final structure, which was published and put on shelves on April 24th, which is St. George’s day in Catalonia, a day when books and a rose are traditionally handed out as gifts. At Cali Terpenes we’re incredibly happy with having had the opportunity to support this project by sponsoring them and we highly recommend that everyone go out and get a copy; all proceedings are used to pay for the costs of the legal battle that the authors had to endure.
Just like the title suvggests, we hope that we can get a green light for freedom in spain when it comes to responsible consumption and a modern regulation.
