Time for the media to stop using ‘the J word’

When Ian O’Doherty published his "I hate junkies" piece in the Irish Independent calling for cash incentives for the sterilisation of people experiencing problems with drugs, he probably didn’t realise that in a globalised world, ‘junkies’ and their allies are increasingly standing up to the use of lazy, pejorative, stereotypes in the media that simplify complex social problems and scapegoat some of the most marginalised and vulnerable members of society. For example, people routinely think of people who use drugs as a cause of crime, yet  they are frequently victims of violence and property crime; however, this is rarely acknowledged in the media.

In response to O’Doherty, members of the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) coordinated a letter writing and press complaints campaign that drew in dozens of letters from people who use drugs and other activists around the world.

Besmirching Ireland’s great literary tradition, O’Doherty drew further contempt when he argued that his piece was ‘satire’ and the Independent has since removed his article from its online edition. Furthermore they only published a very small number of responses from professionals including this from doctors across more than 30 countries. Their publication policy concealed the extent to which people who use drugs and are ‘out’ responded with a combination of dignity and wit – contradicting the idea that years using heroin and the like makes you sub-human. Kevin Jaffray* especially amused me when he signed off his letter "Yours truly, K. Jaffray (worthless junkie scumbag)". Many of these letters were, nevertheless, copied to a quasi-public space, which meant that this publication bias became evident to many activists.

The parallels aren’t perfect, but  the rise of INPUD resonates with campaigns for gay rights and an evolving process in which the affected population challenges injustice directly through a growing number of activists who overcome stigma and discrimination to ‘come out’. In its short lifetime, INPUD has already achieved official recognition and representation at a number of international and regional UN and other bodies, ensuring that the voices of people who inject and other people who use drugs contribute directly to the debates that affect their lives.

It has been common to hear that “Junkies could never organise anything.” Well, actually it seems they can. So please don’t use ‘the J word’ to talk about drug users in the media any more than you might use ‘the N word’ when talking about race. As if you do, someone might write you a letter and embarrass you about your casual contempt for a group of your fellow human beings and you could end up looking as silly as Ian O'Doherty.

*Kevin has of course agreed to me quoting him here.