I decided to visit Retiro Park in Madrid this weekend because I had heard that not only is it beautiful, but it is also a haven for an eclectic group of people. Clad only in a t-shirt and jeans, I was happily remembering why I don’t miss the eyeball-freezing winter weather in Iowa.

I had walked about two inches into the park when a man asked me in perfect proper English, “Would you care for some hashish?”

After I’d walked the park for a while I decided to rest near a monument and pond where some men were singing and dancing to the beat of a drum. When they took a break from their song they proceeded to smoke up.

Not even 15 minutes later, a guy sitting next to me started rolling a joint.

Like any other other big city, Madrid has its share of drugs and drug abuse. But I’ve seen firsthand that Spaniards in general have a relaxed attitude towards marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol.

Spain has a very social society, and going out for a drink is part of the culture. Houses and apartments are very small, and people tend to go out and meet their friends in a bar rather than have them over at their houses.

The contradictions with the Spanish laws, however, are amusing. For example, it’s illegal to traffic marijuana, but it’s not illegal to smoke it. I’m not sure exactly how that works, but I guess if it’s handed to you at a party and you didn’t buy or sell it, you’re in the clear.

The same lax, slightly confusing laws go with alcohol as well. Technically, the sale of alcohol is prohibited to anyone under 18, but I’ve seen kids that can’t be a day over 14 step up to the bar to order a drink.

In fact, I’ve been carded more for R-rated movies in the United States than I have for alcohol here in Spain. The regularity with which I get offered weed amazes me. If there’s some typical look for a pot smoker, I’m not it.

My half snort-half laugh response to the people who try to sell it to me is about as juvenile as my appearance. I’m one of the youngest-looking 21-year-olds I know; I’ve come to terms with the fact that my valid and legal ID will be closely scrutinized at the American bars until I’m 30.

Even though laws specify age requirements, age isn’t much of an indicator for when kids can smoke and drink here.

I was sitting in a train cabin across from a boy who looked like he hadn’t hit puberty yet. As he was reading his comic book, he pulled out his Marlboros and started puffing away.

Technically people under 16 aren’t supposed to be able to smoke, but almost every bar and every store has a cigarette-vending machine. Smoking is as natural as breathing to some Spaniards.

To be considered a light smoker here, a person must have to smoke two packs a day. Smoking isn’t the public no-no that it is in the United States – the second people walk off airplanes, instantly they light up their cigarettes. People smoke everywhere; instead of eating in class, many students smoke.

Pot smokers don’t have any paranoia about lighting up in public, either. In the United States, pot smokers get happy with air freshener in their homes to cover the smell or stuff towels under the door, while some people in Spain pull out their baggies and start rolling joints at the bar.

It’s a rare night when I don’t see any weed during a night of bar hopping, and people aren’t the least bit worried about being caught. Marijuana isn’t considered to be a huge problem; the society would rather have police crack down on what they call “strong drugs,” like heroine and cocaine.

In some ways it’s refreshing to me to see a more laid-back attitude towards things people voluntarily do to their bodies that they know are bad.

The more taboo something is, the more compelled people are to do it. That’s why there are so many high school kegs out in the corn fields of small-town Iowa and so many problems with alcohol on college campuses in the states.

In Spain, children are taught how to handle their vices responsibility. I’ve heard people say in the United States not to mix drinks, but in Spain this bit of wisdom is an obsession.

I’ve probably heard 10 people here advise that it’s best to stick to the same drink in a night (this usually happens when I order a wine after a beer).

I’ve seen many drunks stumbling down the street in Spain, but it’s nothing compared to a Saturday night on Welch Avenue. By the time a person is 18 in Spain and legally able to go to the bars, it’s not that big of a deal.

It’s just not a part of the culture to go out and get drunk – instead people go out and have a drink and a good time with friends. Our professors socialized us on this aspect right away; the first few days we were here they went out with us to the bars, where free drinks were waiting for us.

There are always exceptions, like the many homeless people I’ve seen on the streets begging with their wine bottle in hand or people puking in the gutters.

There will always be people with addiction problems wherever you go. But I’d rather have people look at drinking or smoking as a recreational activity than have massive amounts of alcohol abuse to make up for when people can’t legally go out and drink.

It’s safer and healthier, not to mention more fun, to have a society where people take responsibility for their habits.

Amie Van Overmeer is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Rock Rapids.