KEY POINTS:

• Stigma can be defined, studied, and measured. When stigma is promoted through the organizations and systems that govern daily life, it is called structural stigma.
• Stigma itself is a powerful social determinant of health and has been demonstrated to worsen physical health outcomes and social well-being and to reduce educational achievements and income levels among people who experience stigma.
• Laws are a particularly powerful mediator for structural stigma, as illustrated in this brief through the example of stigma related to people with substance use disorder (SUD).
• The legal domains in which stigma against people with SUD is most prevalent include employment law, legal findings, and nuisance law. Looking beyond SUD, structural stigma related to different conditions and groups will likely be found across a variety of legal domains.
• Education is needed to make policy makers aware of structural stigma embedded in law. Laws with stigmatizing language are harmful to individual and community health and should be identified, reviewed, amended, or revoked.