HORRORS OF HEROIN

Editor -- On, no, not the rich kids! My heartfelt sympathies go out to all
who love Oscar Scaggs and mourn his tragic death.

I must say, however, that your attention paid to the horror of heroin
because upper-class kids are suffering from its nasty grip is predictable
and very depressing.

Poor folks have been abusing, sometimes recovering from and often dying
from heroin on a massive scale in the ten years I've lived here.

Heroin has been rampant in San Francisco for a long time. Now that it's so
strong and cheap I imagine a heck of a lot more poor people are going to be
dying from it than wealthy people.

KIMBERLY GOSSIN

San Francisco

MISSING COMPASSION

Editor -- Where is the compassion for the family of Oscar Scaggs? The
January 8 edition of The Chronicle ran an article about the current heroin
problem entitled, ``Young, Rich and Strung Out,'' and the opening words
were ``Oscar Scaggs.'' This copy probably fits right into the sensational
journalism rules of catching the attention of the reader. But does The
Chronicle have to do that -- and add to the unbelievable suffering of this
family.

Why do Oscar's father and mother have to see their son's name as the lead
into a front-page column about drug abuse and death, a scant one week after
he died this death? Why add to a suffering that we all know has to be the
hardest thing in the world for any parent? Journalists have a
responsibility for truth and integrity, but they must also reflect the
necessary compassion and respect which should define our culture.

ALLAN V. GIANNINI