Fernanda de la Figuera

Fernanda de la Figuera (ES) has been a cannabis grower and activist since 1973. In 1995 she was prosecuted for growing cannabis and obtained the very first acquittal registered in Spain. This led to the foundation of A.R.S.E.C.A. (Asociación Ramón Santos de Estudios sobre el Cannabis de Andalucía) in Malaga in 1996 of which she became the honorary president. In 2002 Fernanda co-founded the Cannabis Party of Valencia and the F.A.C. (Federación de Asociaciones Cannábicas). She later represented the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD) in Spain. Most recently she started a cannabis social club by and for women in Andalusia called Marias X María.

Event

Cannabis Culture Awards 2012 statement by Richard Branson

Cannabis Culture Awards 2012 in Barcelona

The Cannabis Culture Awards 2012 were awarded in both Amsterdam and Barcelona. In Barcelona, winner Richard Branson stated that legal cannabis could solve Spain’s economic crisis and that the move regarding the Weedpass in the Netherlands was a mistake.

A love story

The love story between cannabis and Fernanda de la Figuera started in 1967 when she held, smelled and tasted marihuana for the first time and immediately knew they would be friends for life. The following years Fernanda worked in modern art galleries, but was already learning about cannabis cultivation on the terrace of her penthouse.

In 1978 when her first daughter was 8 years old, Fernanda felt it was time to slow down and enjoy the country life. Leaving her job in the city and hoping to become the first legal marihuana grower, she moved to Andalusia. Her life was dedicated to her children and her plants.

Therapeutic value of marihuana

In the spring of 1982 the family decided to move but at the end of autumn a tragic traffic accident took Fernanda’s lover’s life away. This terrible event brought her closer to cannabis as she found in it her best ally and her best therapy. She stepped into the real estate business, targeting buyers looking for the same sort of paced lifestyle that Fernanda had fell in love with. Years passed by and Fernanda’s sorrow and loss were gradually replaced by strength and belief in the therapeutic value of marihuana. In the summer of 1993, friends visiting from Barcelona told her about the first collective marihuana growth by A.R.S.E.C. (a pioneering organization of cannabis activists) giving her the necessary motivation and courage to engage on a new battle for the decriminalization of the cannabis plant.

A.R.S.E.C.A.

In 1995 Fernanda de la Figuera was prosecuted for growing cannabis but obtained the first acquittal registered in Spain. After the favorable court sentence, and inspired by the fellow A.R.S.E.C., Fernanda founded A.R.S.E.C.A. (Asociación Ramón Santos de Estudios sobre el Cannabis de Andalucía) in Malaga, officially registered in 1996.

Still growing cannabis

In 2000 she started preparing cannabis tinctures, oils, ointments and other traditional recipes. In 2002 she participated in the foundation of the Cannabis Party of Valencia. She was involved with the setting up of F.A.C. (Federación de Asociaciones Cannábicas) being elected the first president (2004) and was assigned as representative of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD) in Spain. In 2007, in the general elections, Fernanda became the main representative in Málaga for the Cannabis Party of Navarra.

Her most recent project was the organization of a cannabis social club by and for women in Andalusia called Marias X María, now paralyzed due to the police’s intervention in July 2010. Fernanda de la Figuera is still growing cannabis and hoping that soon it will be liberated.