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British Columbia is experiencing an unprecedented opioid crisis, and drug overdoses are the leading cause of death in the province for those aged 10 to 59. Among the responses are calls to destigmatize addiction. Mostly, these calls encourage us to consider how the language we use can stigmatize people struggling with addiction. Language does of course have a powerful impact, but not as powerful as policy.
Today in The Conversation Canada, Max Weselowski from Royal Roads University writes about how certain policies can stigmatize those in early addiction recovery. Often, programs and institutions require a minimum amount of sobriety, usually a year, before enrolment. However, as Weselowski explains, such requirements can be unfair.
“In my experience, someone with three months of sobriety starting to get back into work or school is just as steadfast in their recovery as someone who has stayed sober for a year,” he writes. “This begs the question of who these policies are actually helping.”
Also today:
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Photographs of victims of overdose are displayed to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, in Vancouver, on Aug. 31, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Max Weselowski, Royal Roads University
Calls to destigmatize language around drug addiction must be combined with action to change policies that stigmatize people in early recovery.
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Political commentators have expressed concern that Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to appoint former staffers to a committee that helps select provincial judges could politicize the courts.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Troy Riddell, University of Guelph
Appointing individuals who may have links to the party in power is not necessarily troublesome, as long as the process emphasizes legal knowledge and fairness, and not partisan considerations.
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Wax figures of the Beatles in Madame Tussauds Berlin represent the pop stars in their youth — the two surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, are in their 80s.
(Shutterstock)
Alexander Carpenter, University of Alberta
Artificial intelligence helped produce the Beatles’ 2023 hit “Now and Then.” But despite the sophisticated technology, the song reveals our obsession with the past and our anxieties about the future.
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An aerial view of pools of brine that slowly evaporate, leaving behind lithium and other minerals, in the SQM mine in the San Pedro de Atacama desert, in northern Chile, on April 18, 2023.
(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Elizabeth Steyn, University of Calgary
The temptation to justify critical minerals mining at all costs is a dangerous fallacy. The social and environmental impacts of poorly mined critical minerals are dire.
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The board of directors is a group of expert individuals responsible for overseeing the management of an organization.
(Shutterstock)
Oriane Couchoux, Carleton University
How can we explain governance failures in boards of directors? Part of the answer lies in the way directors use their expertise and understand their role on the board.
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Les habitats utilisés tout au long de la vie du flétan et les mouvements effectués entre ceux-ci sont difficiles à caractériser.
(Charlotte Gauthier)
Charlotte Gauthier, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
Le flétan de l’Atlantique revient en force dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent. Mais comment savoir où il se déplace pendant toute sa vie ?
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Business + Economy
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Vincenzo Bove, University of Warwick; Jessica Di Salvatore, University of Warwick; Roberto Nisticò, University of Naples Federico II
The effects on other countries can be both negative and positive.
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Health
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Swrajit Sarkar, City, University of London
Laxatives and stool softeners are not designed to be used for weight loss.
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Science + Tech
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Chris Vagasky, University of Wisconsin-Madison
A new study shows how often lightning strikes and how it behaves, often hitting the ground with multiple strikes from the same flash.
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