VICTIMS OF HEROIN

I would like to express my gratitude to Rose Ciotta for the kindness and
compassion she showed while researching the article "Heroin victims' parents
try to save others" (Inquirer May 15). So much more needs to be said
regarding the serious lack of funding and treatment centers and the problems
caused by insurance companies denying coverage for drug/alcohol abuse
treatment. The laws regarding minors also curtail the recovery process: At
the age of 14, a drug-addicted child can decide whether he/she will go into
treatment. The current tactics in this "war on drugs" are obviously not
working because the death toll continues to rise and the ages of the victims
are younger every day. This plague does not discriminate against age, race,
social or economic status.

Kathleen Berry, Philadelphia