The complexity of stigma demands nuanced debate

Morris et al. (2024) respond to recent claims that societal disapproval may help reduce ‘substance use and addiction’ (SUA) (Vanyukov, 2023a, 2023b) by approaching the issue as an empirical question: specifically, to what extent ‘disapproval’ in real-world settings risks manifesting as stigmatisation. In response, Vanyukov and Kirisci (2024) reject this cautionary position, arguing instead for disapproval towards SUA to become a normative “consensus”. They further suggest that over-extending the concept of stigma, such that it encompasses ‘legitimate disapproval’, risks suppressing reasonable perspectives. We agree that it is essential to examine the distinction between norms and stigmatisation, which we discuss below. However, we believe the original question – what does ‘beneficial disapproval’ look like in practice – remains unanswered.