The opioid crisis has impacted many United States citizens, either directly or indirectly. Addiction's complex layers often make a healed future seem out of reach. I drew inspiration from critiques of medical institutions that irresponsibly prescribe barbiturates, which are frequently misused and cause overdoses. Access to affordable, adequate healthcare should be a human right, yet essential medicine prices keep rising while wages remain stagnant. Just considering a hospital or urgent care bill is exhausting when scarce resources go to daily survival. What price can be put on a life? Not only are costs a concern, but so is medical racism. Hospitals invoke fear in African Americans due to the long, violent history of medical malpractice against Black people. The trauma continues through storytelling and spirit. Finally, "Big Pharma" interests me like fast food companies that market essentials like food yet lack transparency about ingredients. This feels deceptive. Medication branding, spokespeople and marketing play a big role in normalization of sedation over healing the root cause, which leaves me conflicted. I aimed to capture these complex thoughts visually.

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