BARCELONA – Spannabis has earned a reputation around the world as Europe’s premiere cannabis expo. Americans familiar with the domestic trade-show circuit might compare the three-day event to a vibrant mix of MJBizCon, Hall of Flowers, and a High Times Cannabis Cup—only with a far greater emphasis on seeds. From the largest international vendors in the main hall to the local startups and boutique breeders spread across the smaller tents, hype strain seeds and bonafide classics moved by the metric tonne.
“Spannabis is probably the biggest seed market in the world, beyond even cannabis,” said Ben Lind, chief science officer and co-owner at Humboldt Seed Company. “I don’t believe there is anywhere else in the world where you can see this many seed brands represented in one place with so many home growers.”
While the majority of Americans and Canadians can walk into a dispensary and purchase flower and cannabis-infused products with relative ease, most Europeans have a far more difficult time acquiring high-quality and trustworthy finished products. As a result, there seems to be far more excitement in Spain about growing the plant at home. For many Europeans, Spannabis is the best opportunity to acquire the latest genetics and meet the creative minds who brought them to market. For industry professionals from around the world, it’s a busy week of meetings, late-night dinners, and cannabis-club tours where the deals that define the year ahead are brought to life.
“I think because of the legality issues in Europe, it really makes it clear the seed is the king of the game,” said Ellen Holland, author and former editor-in-chief of iconic-but-now-defunct High Times. “Also, because you can take seeds anywhere across the world.”
In Spain, cannabis is decriminalized, allowing adults 18 and older to consume and cultivate it for personal use in private spaces. However, purchasing, possessing, or consuming cannabis in public is a finable offense. Many Spaniards hold memberships in the country’s roughly 1,400 private cannabis clubs, where non-profit associations collectively cultivate the plant for members’ personal use. Despite their popularity, these cooperatives often struggle to meet demand for finished products and frequently face law-enforcement raids, highlighting the uncertain legal landscape surrounding cannabis in different parts of the country.
European cannabis consumers are a different breed
Long lines, muddy walkways, and pouring rain didn’t dissuade thousands of eager international cannabis aficionados from cramming into the event’s main hall and tented showrooms on March 14, the opening day of Spannabis 2025. If you’re unfamiliar with cannabis culture in Spain, you may underestimate the amount of tobacco that’s mixed with cannabis and smoked freely throughout every square inch of the event’s space. For Americans who’ve attended countless domestic industry conferences, festivals, and events, the spliff-fueled Spanish hotbox is still a shock to the system and a palpable reminder of just how differently the two cultures embrace their plants. It may speak to a difference North American brands with interest abroad need to consider.
A 2022 study funded by the Canadian Cancer Society found approximately 60 percent of all cannabis users mix their flower with tobacco, though the prevalence of the practice varies significantly across the pond. Looking at 24 European countries, researchers found cannabis-and-tobacco mixing popular with 54 to 95 percent of consumers. For comparison, fewer than 25 percent of Americans mix, most often in the form of a blunt wrap. In Canada, the rate falls to about 12 percent. When Europeans are mixing, it’s traditionally done with rolling tobacco in a hand-rolled joint.
American breeders who fail to acknowledge the prevalence of rolling tobacco and the effects it has on consumers enjoying their strains likely will struggle to gain a foothold with a majority of European cannabis consumers. Breeders simply can’t ignore how end users in Europe will experience their strains.
In other regulated industries like alcohol, there’s no hiding from the way consumers enjoy their products. Rum and Coke is such a popular combination that BACARDÍ and Coca-Cola collaborated on a pre-mixed, ready-to-drink cocktail in 2024. While the marketplace is unlikely to see a collaboration between Cookies and a rolling-tobacco brand, product releases like the company’s London Poundcake Hemp Blunt demonstrate a keen understanding of these market conditions. That insight was validated when Cookies won the 2025 International Cannabis Awards trophy for best cultivation brand in March.
Terpenes are still a major consideration
The long-time Barcelona test grower and self-proclaimed cannabis nerd known locally as Christian has seen a shift in recent years toward bold terpenes among the connoisseur crowd in Spain. When shopping for seeds, potential THC levels are nice to know, but most home growers in the region are more interested in exploring phenotypes—the observable variations or physical expressions in plants of the same strain.
“These last few years, the people here forgot about the old lines from Europe and started only growing the American strains. There’s maybe not as much difference from one strain to the other,” said Christian. “But [strains like] Blueberry Muffin have become super-exaggerated. The smell of blueberry is so strong it’s almost artificial, and that’s what makes this strain super-special in Spain because it’s more than what you can expect from a natural source.”
Barcelona breeder Ripper Seeds had an eye-catching booth and steady crowd throughout Spannabis. The company is best known in Spain for its Indica-dominant Zombie Kush, typically grown by those on a quest for high THC. One of Ripper’s first genetic research projects, the strain’s lineage includes Lavender Kush, Amnesia, and Bubba Kush. A bold terpene profile of caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene apparently mix quite well with rolling tobacco for the European palate.
Amsterdam breeder Green House Seed Co. had a large presence on the main show floor. The brand is best known for developing legendary strains like Super Silver Haze and Super Lemon Haze, two strains traditionally prized by Europeans for the way they pair with rolling tobaccos.
Despite having a smaller shared booth outdoors in the rain, Los Angeles-based Wizard Trees managed a steady first-day crowd that continued through the weekend. Best known for its RS-11 strain, the decision to launch ten Spannabis-exclusive strains appeared to be a winning strategy for a small team pushed to an easy-to-miss corner of the event. Wizard Trees “Handroll 2g” pre-rolls don’t include tobacco, but the company’s design choice with brown filters and white paper offered a similar look and feel to a traditional cigarette.
Did Barcelona say ‘adios’ to Spannabis?
After more than two decades in Barcelona, Spannsbis has bid farewell to the city that no longer wants to be considered the “new Amsterdam.” According to an email sent to 2025 exhibitors, the longtime Spannabis venue, Fira de Cornella, is set for demolition in 2026 and no other suitable venue is available to host the event moving forward. Given the presence of other large convention centers in Barcelona, the message between the lines said it’s simply time to go.
“Spannabis is traditionally the top international expo and never missed,” said Lance Lambert, chief marketing executive at Grove Bags. “It’s been around for over 20 years, so finding out 2025 would be its final year in Barcelona days before arriving was bittersweet.”
According to organizers, the Bilbao Exhibition Centre in Bilbao, Spain, will allow for bigger booths, more exhibitors, and a more enjoyable visitor experience at one of Europe’s most modern venues. Spannabis likely will face an uphill battle competing for the same crowd in Spain’s tenth-largest city near a small international airport with limited direct flights from major cities in Europe and abroad.
If the move to Bilbao isn’t challenging enough, Spannabis also faces stiff competition from rival Mary Jane Berlin for the title of Europe’s premier cannabis event. German organizers, now preparing their tenth annual event, anticipate 60,000 attendees from June 19-22. While the events are not necessarily apples-to-apples in terms of the crowd, the heart of European cannabis feels like it’s beating stronger in Germany than in Spain.
“Technically, Mary Jane surpassed Spannabis on all fronts last year — size, exhibitor count, and attendance — but nothing can replace the energy we have come to love around Weed Week BCN for many years now,” said Lambert. “Inevitably, the move to Bilbao will ring in a new era. I sincerely hope this isn’t a second blow to what’s been a sea of change in the industry expo landscape as we know it in Europe.”
Regardless how successful Spannabis 2026 turns out to be — along with the potential European shift as Germany’s industry matures — one thing is certain. American hype strains have a huge influence overseas, but growers in Spain won’t be fooled by subpar genetics that can’t live up to their reputation. Spaniards expect all cannabis seeds to pop and produce an impressive bouquet of nose-tingling terpenes when grown under a wide variety of conditions. If it’s not pleasant to mix with their preferred brand of rolling tobacco, they probably won’t try to grow it again.
