The term “clean” is sometimes used to describe a person who is abstinent from drugs or to indicate a negative result on a urine drug test. However, this term is now recognized as potentially stigmatizing due to its negative implication that those who use substances are “dirty.”
Professionals are encouraged to use non-stigmatizing, medically accurate language, such as referring to a person as being in remission or recovery, and describing test results as negative or positive rather than “clean” or “dirty.”
Sources: Recovery Research Institute, NIDA