The human cost — As America enters its third wave of the opioid epidemic, a new exhibition brings together the work of four photographers to grapple with the ongoing questions surrounding the crisis.

Over the past two decades, nearly 841,000 Americans have died from a drug overdose, with a startling 10 per cent of that figure occurring in the past year alone. Driven primarily by the opioid crisis, the country is now in its third wave of the epidemic as the market for illicitly manufactured drugs like fentanyl has spiked.

With addiction devastating the lives of millions of individuals and tearing apart countless families, America’s misbegotten war on drugs has reached its logical end: abject failure. After decades of ill-conceived strategies ranging from Nancy Reagan’s insipid “Just Say No” campaign to the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws, which targeted Black and Latino communities, the nation is finally starting to recognise drug abuse as a public health crisis.  

In the new exhibition The Human Cost: America’s Drug Plague, photographers Mark E. Trent, Jeffrey Stockbridge, and James Nachtwey with Paul Moakley, Editor at large for special projects at TIME, explore the ongoing questions surrounding the opioid crisis. 

Allie and Regina catching snowflakes after a close friend’s funeral. © Mark E. Trent

Allie crying, facing jail time and missing Barbie who died of an overdose, after a long night of using. © Mark E. Trent

In their project The Opioid Diaries, Nachtwey and Moakley journeyed through America in 2017 to gather stories from users, families, and first responders to amplify their voices and concerns, while Stockbridge spent a decade in Philadelphia creating large-format photographs, audio interviews, video and journal entries to look at the impact of the crisis on a working-class community for “Kensington Blues”.

Elsewhere, in Despair, Love and Loss, Mark E. Trent travelled across Appalachia in his native West Virginia, connecting with small-time dealers, addicts, and local law enforcement to present a broad scope of the issues at play. “I see a lot of great artists making media about my home region through their own lens,” Trent says. “I am not sure any of us get it completely right. It is complicated.”

Having travelled the world, Trent recognises universal struggles and themes, which he brings to his work, humanising a profoundly dehumanising plague. Growing up, he remembers those struggling with addiction being written off while overdoses went unspoken due to the shame of drug use.

Holly, detoxing in the Montgomery County Jail in Dayton, Ohio, on July 3, 2017. Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME

Nichole, 2011. © Jeffrey Stockbridge

“When I was a teenager running around, I would be offered a pain killer or random pill when out partying,” Trent says. “We didn’t know how addictive some of these pills were. We trusted what we were told by our doctors and when we finally realised what was happening, it was just too late.”

Inspired by Eugene Richards’ seminal 1994 monograph, Cocaine True Cocaine Blue, Trent understood he needed to forge personal relationships with his subjects in order to understand the complexities of addiction without moralising judgment.

“When I was growing up, it was normal to see my friends snorting a pill but when I came home, they were shooting them and freebasing. I wanted to document the in-between moments, the boredom, the quirkiness that I have always loved about West Virginia,” he says.

“Most of all, I just wanted to show an unfiltered view of what this looked like,” Trent says. “Some small communities have lost entire generations. Some communities have been decimated and may not recover fully in our lifetime.”

Allie after being arrested for giving a friend pseudoephedrine. © Mark E. Trent

Mary, 2009. © Jeffrey Stockbridge

Pat and Rachel, 2012. © Jeffrey Stockbridge

The Human Cost: America’s Drug Plague is on view at the Bronx Documentary Center from June 5 to July 5, 2021.

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter

 


You might like

Vibrant book covers against bleak, rocky hills and buildings; 'Babylon' and 'Albion' text in bold lettering.
Culture

Dalia Al-Dujaili: “When you’re placeless, nature can fill the void”

Babylon, Albion — As her new book publishes, the British-Iraqi author speaks about connecting with the land as a second-generation migrant, plants as symbols of resistance, and being proud of her parents.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Angela Hui

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Surfers against sewage protest box floating in water with people swimming around it.
© Alex Brown / Surfers Against Sewage
Sport

The rebellious roots of Cornwall’s surfing scene

100 years of waveriding — Despite past attempts to ban the sport from beaches, surfers have remained as integral, conservationist presences in England’s southwestern tip. A new exhibition in Falmouth traces its long history in the area.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Energetic music performance on stage with colourful lighting, smoke and audience.
Culture

Southbank Centre reveals new series dedicated to East and Southeast Asian arts

ESEA Encounters — Taking place between 17-20 July, there will be a live concert from YMO’s Haruomi Hosono, as well as discussions around Asian literature, stage productions, and a pop-up Japanese Yokimono summer market.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.