Avoid saying 'drug user' to combat stigma, report urges

BBC News (UK)
Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Policymakers and the media should avoid using terms such as "drug user", "addict" and "junkie", a report by a group of former world leaders has said. The Global Commission on Drug Policy has drawn up a checklist of what language should and should not be used. It said negative language presented people who use drugs as "physically inferior or morally flawed". Its members include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Sir Nick Clegg and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. The Global Commission's latest report advises political leaders and journalists to use the expression "person with drug dependence" - not "addict", "drug abuser" or "junkie". (See also: Changing drug laws too much hassle for Tories, says Nick Clegg)