Using drugs in public is not tolerated at all, and it doesn't matter whether you're in Madrid or Barcelona or anywhere else in the country. I am frankly tired o

Using drugs in public is not tolerated at all, and it doesn't matter whether you're in Madrid or Barcelona or anywhere else in the country. I am frankly tired of explaining this, and I don't know where this notion comes from that drugs are socially tolerated in Spain; I'm guessing from some kind of ignorant association with our neighbors of Portugal, where, by the way, drugs are decriminalized, not semi-legal. Decriminalized means you won't get put in jail for personal-use possession, full stop. And personal-use means very low quantities, comically low in most cases. You will go to jail for dealing, and for possessing any quantities above a threshold of purity (you read that right: they do test the purity of hard drugs even for street-possession charges, and will slap you with a harder charge when the results come back). Nevermind that 90% of regular citizens find drugs very disturbing and will call the cops and treat you as a degenerate junkie the moment they even think that you might be on drugs, especially if you're a foreigner and you're outside a tourist-trap nightlife district. Spain, or our neighbors in Portugal, it doesn't matter: you do something supposedly "light" and "tolerated" like smoking weed on the street, and the police will impose a hefty fine between €400 and €1200 (a person's whole salary in many cases), depending on the circumstances. It's the law. It goes without saying that they will confiscate everything. On top of that, if you're a foreigner/tourist and they think you're flaunting your drug usage or simply assume that you just don't give a damn about learning the law of the place you're visiting, they will put your ignorant ass in jail for the night on any charge they like, just for the annoyance. Like that. And then you can talk that 'but it's tolerated!' nonsense on your way to the back of a police van. And then, if still feel like getting smart with them, they'll bring you back to your senses. With a slap across the face, follow by an obstruction of justice charge. And you'll still go in the damn police van. Take it from me, who's grown up here and have been living here for 30 years, or take your risk with taking idiotic internet tourist assumptions for granted. I strongly advise you to do the former, but as we say here: you're free to do as you please, and so is the police.