Part 1: Background
Effective public health communication strategies are critical in informing the public of any health risk, whether it’s an infectious disease pandemic like COVID-19 or an overdose epidemic. When communicating about drug use and addiction, word choice should be carefully considered to prevent stigma and harm. 
Review the webpage “Words Matter: Preferred Language for Talking About AddictionLinks to an external site.” from NIDA* and the Tulane University blog post “10 Strategies for Effective Health CommunicationLinks to an external site.” to prepare to participate in this discussion. Some questions/answers in Quiz 2 will also come from these resources.
*Note: The irony is not lost on me that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states on its own website that the term “abuse” should be avoided and replaced with use (for illicit drugs) or misuse (for prescription medications used other than prescribed). There was a petition/campaign to change the name organized by Faces