An analysis of media framing of and by Cannabis Social Clubs in Belgium: making the news?

Aims: Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) are non-profit organizations that supply cannabis among their adult members. The goal of this paper is twofold: (1) to understand how Belgian CSCs have attempted to frame public debate through the media, and (2) to examine the ways in which the Belgian CSCs have been framed by that same domestic print media. Methods: We draw on semi-structured interviews with 15 CSC directors and a qualitative content analysis of Belgian print media (2006-2016), including 164 media articles. This dataset is complemented by a review of various Belgian CSCs' internal documents. Findings: Most Belgian CSCs engaged with the domestic media. While the framing of the CSC model often focussed on legal issues, the news articles offered also some detail on CSCs' functioning, in line with their self-defined practices. We noted a subtle shift in the framing over time. Conclusions: CSCs' efforts in engaging with the media seem to have been somewhat successful, as they were able to contribute to the news production about the model. The media reporting was also generally less biased than previously anticipated. However, a public or political debate on the CSC model does not seem to have yet been initiated in Belgium.