Language explorer
Words shape what people notice, assume, write down, and decide. This is not a list of banned words. It is a tool for choosing language that fits the situation.
Understand the setting
A chosen identity, a joke among friends, a legal term, workplace shorthand, and a label forced on someone are not the same.
Identity label
Did the person choose this word for themselves? Is it a joke among friends, or is someone using it to reduce a person to cannabis use?
The word can make cannabis use seem like the person's whole identity. It may suggest laziness or poor ability without evidence.
Describe the relevant conduct: ‘They use cannabis,’ ‘They used cannabis before the event,’ or ‘Their work was submitted late.’
Records and professional language
Does ‘admits’ suggest guilt or wrongdoing when the person simply shared information?
A hint of guilt can enter a medical, workplace, or legal record and affect later decisions.
Use ‘reports cannabis use’ unless an actual admission is relevant to the event.
Recovery and self-description
Did the person choose this word for their recovery, or is someone using it to suggest that people who use drugs are dirty?
Strict word rules can also disrespect the language a person chooses for their own recovery.
For neutral description, name the status: ‘not currently using,’ ‘abstinent,’ or the person’s own preferred language.
Official category
Does this word fit the reason that matters here? Or does it force many reasons, such as sleep, pain, pleasure, stress, ceremony, or social use, into only two boxes?
Official categories can be useful, but they may not reflect the person's overlapping reasons for use.
Ask which reason matters to the decision. Record the person's explanation without claiming more certainty than the facts allow.
Health and character
Did the person choose this identity? Is it a supported medical finding, or just a broad label based on cannabis use?
The word can mix a health condition, a pattern of behaviour, and a moral judgment into one identity.
When health care is involved, use a clear and supported description, such as ‘meets the medical criteria for cannabis use disorder’, or describe the pattern you observed.
Law and jurisdiction
Which law, licence, government, land, and source of authority are we talking about?
The phrase may be correct under one law while wrongly suggesting that only provincial or federal governments can have authority.
Use the most specific description you can prove, such as ‘not licensed by the province’. If there is a dispute about which government has authority, say so.
Response ladder
Start with the simplest response that may protect the person and improve the decision. Use a stronger response when the harm is serious or keeps happening.
“They use cannabis. I don’t think we need the label.”
“What about the cannabis use tells us that?”
“That term carries assumptions about character. Can we describe the actual behaviour we are concerned about?”
“Can we separate cannabis use from the performance issue unless we have evidence connecting the two?”
“I’m willing to discuss a specific risk or behaviour. I’m not willing to reduce this person to a stereotype.”
“This label keeps affecting decisions. We need to review the form, the evidence we require, and who is responsible for fixing the problem.”