While recreational cannabis use is very much illegal in the UK, there is a growing number of cannabis clubs where members can gather and consume cannabis in peace.
They vary in their rules and legal status, but they do exist and can be great places to meet other cannabis consumers.
So here’s the lowdown on UK’s cannabis clubs…
Legal status of cannabis in UK
Recreational cannabis use is illegal in the UK. It’s categorised as a Class B drug, and possession, production, and distribution of cannabis for recreational purposes can result in penalties such as fines, warnings, cautions, or imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence and the quantity involved.
However, medical cannabis was legalised in 2018, and there currently over 40,000 people prescribed medical cannabis.
Legally prescribable cannabis products include THC-rich flower, oils and vapes. It can be prescribed for a wide number of conditions.

Are cannabis clubs legal in the UK?
In the UK, there are different types of cannabis clubs – some legal and some not.
Legal
The legal ones are spaces where prescription holders are allowed to consume their prescribed cannabis. They are not allowed to smoke it, just vape it. Cannabis is not sold at these clubs.
One of these is called Good Vibes, located in Maidstone, Kent. It bills itself as a legal prescription vape lounge, and offers hot drinks, snacks, CBD products, and of course, a relaxed area to vape legally prescribed cannabis.
It’s one of many popping up in town centres around the country.
Tolerated
Other clubs offer a place where anyone, legally prescribed cannabis or not, can consume. Some also provide members with cannabis in return for a “donation”.
These places allow smoking, although usually not with tobacco. These clubs are not strictly legal but some operate in the open and are tolerated by local authorities.
An example is Teesside cannabis club, which provides members a safe supply of cannabis, access to support, and a place for consumers to gather and socialise.
While Teesside Cannabis Club is not legal and not officially endorsed by its local police force, it is at least tolerated enough for its doors to remain open.

Illegal
And then there’s the clubs that operate in secrecy and sell cannabis. These are illegal, often associated with organised crime, and are routinely targeted by police raids.
The Youtuber Drewissharing has showcased a number of them on his channel.
Can you buy cannabis at these clubs?
As stated above, most cannabis clubs don’t allow the sale of cannabis. However, some do.
Some operate similar to Spanish cannabis clubs, where members donate money to the organisation and receive a share of cannabis in return.
Others explicitly sell cannabis like Dutch-style cannabis cafes. These operate more stealthily and gather customers by word-of-mouth.
How to find a cannabis club in the UK
You can check out UKSCS, Teeside Cannabis Club, follow Dresissharing, or simply ask around.
Final thoughts
The arguments against keeping cannabis illegal are weakening, while the benefits of legalisation are becoming clearer.
Progress is slow, but neighbouring countries are adopting more favourable attitudes, increasing pressure for change in the UK.

Research suggests that cannabis social clubs are among the most effective forms of legislative reform, in terms of public health, harm-reduction and social equity.
The ones operating without profit motives have an admirable focus on member welfare.
Considering the negative impacts of the “war on drugs”, they appear to me to be a sensible step towards legalisation.
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The Teesside club take your id and tell you to f**k off as soon as they have you signed up and staff tamper with ids and become aggressive and the weed was industrial haze rubbish. They claim to be operating with social care and offer social support that is very worrying that this exists on the government grounds and clearly abuses its powers why it still illegal