How much does it cost to join a cannabis club?

It’s the first question everyone asks and the one fewest websites answer. You search for how much it costs to join a cannabis club and end up on pages that say nothing, or with bare figures and no explanation of what’s behind them.

Let’s be honest about it: how the fees work, what they pay for, why IBOGA doesn’t put the amounts on the website and, above all, what’s worth asking so you can compare clubs properly.

How the fees work

There are two options: monthly and annual. It’s standard for associations, cannabis or otherwise, and it works the way you’d expect.

• Monthly renews month by month. It’s the most flexible: the one you pick to try things out, or when you don’t want to commit to a whole year.
• Annual renews once a year. It’s the convenient one for anyone who already knows they’ll be coming regularly and would rather not think about it every month.

What matters is what there isn’t: there’s no lock-in. Being a member of an association doesn’t tie you down, and you can leave whenever you like just by letting us know, with no penalties or odd small print.

What the fee is and what it isn’t

Here’s the most widespread misunderstanding. The fee isn’t the price of admission, and it isn’t paid at the door. It’s each member’s contribution to keeping the association running.

As we explain in what a cannabis association is, non-profit doesn’t mean no cost: the premises have to be paid for. The fee covers rent, utilities, upkeep and activities, and because it’s an association there’s no profit for anyone to take. What comes in goes towards keeping the place going.

Why we don’t publish the amounts on the website

It’s a deliberate choice, and worth explaining because it rubs many people the wrong way. We’d rather explain calmly what each option includes and have you decide with the full picture in front of you, rather than have you see a bare number with no context.

A figure on one website gets compared with a figure on another, and that comparison is almost never fair: you don’t know what one includes and the other doesn’t, or what the place is like, or the opening hours, or the people. It’s more useful to talk it through in person.

What we cover in the interview

At the prior interview we show you around and explain how everything works: the opening hours, the house rules, the month’s activities and the fees. The amounts, what each option includes, and what happens if you can’t pay one month. All in the same visit, with no paperwork afterwards.

The interview doesn’t commit you to anything. If you decide at the end that it’s not for you, that’s fine.

Monthly or annual: how to decide

There’s no right answer, but there are a couple of useful questions:

• Do you already know the club? If it’s your first time, monthly lets you try it with no commitment. If you’ve been a few times and know it suits you, annual saves you keeping track.
• Will you come regularly? The more you use the club — to work, for the tournaments, to meet up — the more sense it makes to commit.
• Are you in Madrid all year? If you spend part of the year away, tell us: it’s best worked out at the interview.

How much does it cost to join a cannabis club: how to compare

If you’re looking at several clubs, don’t stop at the number. These are the questions that genuinely tell them apart:

• What does the fee include? Ask what it covers and what’s paid separately. A low fee that leaves everything out can end up costing more than a higher one that includes it.
• Is there a joining fee on top of the regular one? Some clubs charge an initial sign-up. Worth knowing before you decide.
• How does it renew? Automatically or with notice, and what happens if you can’t pay one month.
• How does leaving work? Just letting them know, or penalties and notice periods.
• What are the real opening hours? It’s the number one reason someone joins and then never goes. A cheap fee doesn’t make up for not being able to use the place.
• Do they give you a membership contract? A serious association puts the sign-up in writing.

Warning signs

You learn over time to spot the clubs worth ruling out:

• They ask for money before they’ve met you. Joining is a process, with a sponsor and an interview, not a payment at the door. If they charge you before anyone’s seen your face, it’s not an association as it should be.
• The fee is suspiciously low. It usually means an overcrowded place, poorly kept, or with very high turnover.
• You get in the same day, no questions. As we cover in the sponsor system, the easier it is to get in, the less stable the place tends to be.
• There’s no contract or paperwork. A club that operates in the shadows doesn’t protect you or itself.
• They pressure you to decide now. A good place doesn’t need to rush you.

What isn’t in the fee

One clarification that avoids misunderstandings: the monthly pool and darts tournaments are open to all members at no extra cost. It’s part of what the association does for its members, not an add-on.

Also, to join you have to meet the usual requirements: being 24 or over, an ID document, a member’s sponsorship and passing the interview. None of them have to do with money.

FAQ about cannabis club fees

How much exactly does it cost to join IBOGA?

There are monthly and annual fees, and we go through the amounts when you message us. We’d rather explain it calmly than put it on a sign.

Does the fee renew automatically?

It depends on the option. Monthly ones renew month to month and annual ones once a year. At the interview we explain how each works.

Can I leave whenever I want?

Yes. Being a member isn’t a lock-in contract: you just let us know. There are no penalties either.

Are the tournaments paid separately?

No. The pool and darts tournaments are monthly, open to all members and at no extra cost.

What happens if I can’t pay one month?

It’s one of the things we go through at the interview. Better to talk it over in advance than find out when the problem arrives.

Summary: what it costs to join a cannabis club

What it costs to join a cannabis club matters less than what you get in return and whether the place suits you. Compare what’s included, how it renews and how leaving works, and be wary of anyone who charges you before meeting you.

If you want to know the amounts, message us and we’ll go through them, no commitment. You can check the three steps to join or take a look at what the club looks like inside before deciding. And if you need somewhere to spend the afternoon, our piece on working from the club explains how many members use it.