Addicts come in all stripes

Reading the letter, “Need to bust heroin dealers,” I had to chuckle a little bit. The sale of heroin has been escalating in our area since the ’90s when the Mexican mafia chose our ‘lil neck of the woods to sell their wares. Back then, few people had cell phones and dealers used pagers. I am a recovering heroin addict, been clean for 12 years. We had to make our calls using pay phones and Jack in the Box’s pay phone was one of the most popular. Today, a pay phone is hard to find and even the homeless and jobless have cell phones.

He said, “I urge the Everett Police Department to please do something about this.” As if they weren’t aware of this problem. The sale and use of heroin in Snohomish County is a pandemic. For every police officer, there are 1,000 heroin users and dealers. The police have been “doing something” as well as can be expected. Unfortunately, today’s heroin user is hiding in plain sight. That poster that used to hang in my doctor’s office sticks out in my mind showing how to “Spot a Junkie.” The man (like women aren’t junkies too) is skinny, wearing dark glasses and a leather jacket. The “junkie” was shown having giant track marks on his arms, dark circles under his red and watering eyes. In reality today’s heroin user may be delivering your mail, or defending you in court. Today’s “junkie” is a housewife living on Mercer Island or your kid’s teacher or school bus driver.

Help our police out. Call them when you see suspicious behavior. If you are a heroin user, please … go to the local methadone clinic and save your life. I know it saved mine.

Susan Martin

Everett

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

Advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities rallied on the state capitol steps on Jan. 17. The group asked for rate increases for support staff and more funding for affordable housing. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
Editorial: Limit redundant reviews of those providing care

If lawmakers can’t boost funding for supported living, they can cut red tape that costs time.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, Feb. 5

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Vote yes on Everett Schools bond; delaying projects will cost more later

The Everett Public Schools bond has a strong values case and should… Continue reading

Climate crisis is affecting availability of water resources

All over the West, water has become a difficult issue, and a… Continue reading

Stephens: Newsom looks good to Democrats; too bad about his record

Democrats looking for a favorite in ‘28 need to look how California has fared with him as governor.

Comment: S. Carolina’s measles milestone is everyone’s problem

Now hosting the largest outbreak in 25 years, the state’s measles cases come at a dangerous time for the U.S.

Comment: Kristi Noem also is failing at directing FEMA

Unfortunately, getting rid of her is unlikely to improve the agency’s disaster response in a time of need.

FILE — Federal agents arrest a protester during an active immigration enforcement operation in a Minneapolis neighborhood, Jan. 13, 2026. The chief federal judge in Minnesota excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 28, saying it had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.” (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)
Editorial: Ban on face masks assures police accountability

Concerns for officer safety can be addressed with investigation of threats and charges for assaults.

Robotic hand playing hopscotch on a keyboard. Artifical intelligence, text generators, ai and job issues concept. Vector illustration.
Editorial: Help the county write rules for AI’s robots

A civic assembly of 40 volunteers will be asked to draft policy for AI use in county government.

Monroe’s Betzy Garcia celebrates scoring a touchdown against Everett during the game on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: School levies, bonds invest in future of students

Several school districts seek the support of voters for levies and bonds in the Feb. 10 election.

February 3, 2026: Don and Lemon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, Feb. 4

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Welch: To limit DUI wrecks focus on what happens after arrest

Lowering the blood-alcohol limit to .05 targets the wrong drivers and doesn’t address lax follow-up.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.