“The prevalence of drug use in our society is widely-known and the consequences for populations profound. This image, made in Tettenhall in the West Midlands, made me think about how the use of drugs is visible yet simultaneously hidden from view. It is normalised and criminalised at the same time.” There is a strong tendency for drug abuse to be more common in more unequal countries. No one doubts the damage done by widespread drug addiction, both to its victims and in funding organised crime.
The World Drug Report 2007, compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, contains the results of sample surveys on the prevalence of the use of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamines. Looking at these as an index of drug misuse at the national level, there is a strong tendency for drug abuse to be more common in more unequal countries. Among the 50 states of the USA drug addiction and deaths from drug overdoses are related to inequality. Again it was found that the more unequal states had higher death rates.