Last summer, Teun Voeten, an acclaimed Dutch War photographer and anthropologist, spent a week on Skid Row documenting the devastating toll that speed has taken on its users and the city. His book on global meth trade is coming out later this year.
WHITNEY smokes meth while her boyfriend looks on.
ANNA, a homeless woman originally from Afghanistan and a heavy crystal meth user, smears herself with white paint.
SCOTTY shoots $30 worth of meth a day. He says he makes his money by obtaining 40 clean needles daily at the Needle Exchange, which he sells for $1 apiece to fellow addicts.
METH ADDICTS from Juarez, Mexico, shoot up in front of the offices of the Needle Exchange on 4th Street.
NANCY is a daily user who says she feels happiest when she smokes meth.
ROGER, from the Midwest, is a crystal meth addict with a profile typical of many on Skid Row: MICA, or mentally ill chemical abuser, in the argot of medical literature.
LIVING ON THE EDGE in tents along San Pedro Street.
Read Los Angeles magazine’s Q&A with Sam Quionnes
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