Credit: Addiction Matters- Facebook

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Drug addiction requires bold action, not fuzzy language

Jul 22, 2020 | 4:29 AM

KAMLOOPS — EVERYBODY HAS IDEAS about what to do about drug abuse. The Addiction Matters Kamloops group, for example, wants to remove the stigma around drug addiction by changing the way we talk about it.

It suggests replacing the term “addict” with “people with a substance use disorder.” It asks us to take a pledge to stop using terms like “crack head” and “junkie,” which it says will show more respect for the individual.

Premier John Horgan, backed by Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, takes a very different approach. He is formally asking the federal government to decriminalize possession of illegal drugs for personal use.

Horgan and Addiction Matters Kamloops have the same objective — to encourage access to services that can help.

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Stigma causes lower self-esteem and depression. But removing stigma requires facing the challenge boldly and candidly.

Addiction Matters Kamloops deserves credit for effort but we shouldn’t get too fuzzy with our words. Drug addiction is a nasty thing that ruins lives, and we need to be clear about that in the language we use.

The word “addict” is nonjudgmental— a person who is addicted. The answer is not to shrink from using terminology that properly defines the situation but to remove those that are dismissive and disrespectful.

Therefore, avoiding insulting terms, as Addiction Matters Kamloops proposes, makes sense, while attempting to transform the entire language of drug addiction doesn’t.

Changing the language of stigma isn’t about a total rewrite but, rather, an editing process. On its own, it can’t change attitudes.

Horgan’s proposal, however, is direct and action oriented. He says criminal prohibitions are an ineffective deterrence and have led to systemic stigma. What is needed, he says, is a Canada-wide policy. Healthcare officials have made the same argument for years.

What needs to be done now is to have a national conversation about acceptance and solutions, unimpeded by blurry language.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.