HEROIN ADDICTS

Alarmed At Our Increasing Comfort With Truly Sad Things

I did not read with interest Arthur Santana's article on Seattle's thriving
community of heroin addicts. I did, however, read it with an amount of
livid disbelief I have previously reserved for the more typically soulless
media of television.

I would very much like to know the purpose served by showing a heroin
addict "getting his fix in a Belltown bathroom." And I'm really curious as
to why you've actually provided a small instruction manual for the entire
procedure.

As long as you're providing lessons, why don't you increase the graphic
potency with a couple of my footnotes?

"The heroin user pictured above has chosen this particular injection site
on his arm because all the other veins have either collapsed or are covered
in scabs."

"The heroin user pictured above later collapsed in a fit of shaking and
vomiting so profound I was moved to pen a second article on the spot."

"The heroin user pictured above was jonesing so badly he spent 20 minutes
repeatedly compressing the cigarette butt he filtered his heroin through in
an effort to recycle the last little watery desperate bit. After using, he
promptly endured 45 minutes of what appeared to be unbelievable agony as
the cotton fibers worked their way through his system."

I am so alarmed at our increasing comfort level with truly sad things, and
I would caution anyone to think before making casual and commonplace
something that is not.