When the last of Cape Breton's once thriving coal-mines shut down in the late 1990s, the shrinking population of Glace Bay faced chronic unemployment. For some, despair led to a dependency on the prescription painkiller OxyContin. Cottonland draws a coherent line between economic and social depression and asks us to consider the deeper roots of widespread social problems. Strong and cohesive social networks can help people to resist drug dependency. Ironically, this network exists in the neighboring Native community of Membertou, where the economy is flourishing and a culture of hope thrives after generations of despair. Cottonland emphasizes the importance of a collective approach to problems of addiction and dependency.

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