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	Podcast:		Maine Things Considered
	Episode:		Why Language Matters When Describing Substance Use Disorder In Maine
	Category:		Government & Organizations
	Duration:		00:04:14
	Publish Date:		2018-05-16 04:42:20
	Description:		A new law took effect on May 1, changing the language used to describe substance use in Maine's laws. The law seeks to do a small part of the work that's required to deal with the state's opioid crisis, by moving toward destigmatizing the way we describe it. For example, the law removes references to terms such as alcohol and drug abuse and replaces them with "substance use disorder." Rather than saying alcoholic or drug addict, someone will be described as a "person with substance use disorder." It's a small step, but one that people who work in the recovery field say is important. Katie Fullam Harris, a senior vice president of government relations at Maine Health, which testified in favor of the bill, spoke with Maine Things Considered Host Nora Flaherty about the changes. Flaherty: One of the responses I've heard to this is, "why does this matter if it's just language?" How do you respond to that? Harris: As someone who works in the medical field, I see this stigma attached to
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