Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street

If anyone is wondering about updates for those who were filmed, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBhDnVY0f08

I am a documentary lover and while I do not do drugs myself. Docs about different drugs have always fascinated me and is probably a good reason of why I will never try them. I think Black Tar is a great documentary for teens to watch. I live in Montana and meth has been a huge problem for us. Many highschoolers are now doing meth at parties instead of smoking pot or drinking. They need to be educated about all drugs so that they make educated decisions about what they are willing to "try" that could and most likely will lead to addiction and/or death.

I did not see this documentary in its entirety, but what I did see definitely made an impact. The images are still with me today of those who were ravaged by heroin addiction. I caught the second half. One couple lived in a slummy hotel. The boyfriend was dealing and selling at the same time. He talked about how he once said he would never shoot up; once he began doing that he said he would never shoot through his neck. Sadly, we see him do that during this documentary. The others lives were just as depressing. Two of the addicts call their family members during the documentary. This was sad because it reminds viewers that they still have people who care about them. I would like to see a follow up on those featured. I hope they were able to get help. I agree with other posters that this is a good film to show young people.

I was flipping channels late one evening and I caught the last half of this film. It was horrifying and bleak yet absolutely fascinating, like watching a car accident in slow-motion.

The filmmakers set out to tell the truth about the effects of heroin addiction by following the daily lives of a group of black tar heroin addicts in the San Francisco Bay area. We see them become progressively sicker, thinner, paler and even lose hope of going clean. Three of them (2 guys and a girl) work as prostitutes to support their habit (2 later test positive for HIV). All the while they remain remarkably candid about their condition and we learn all we'd ever want to know about this sad lifestyle.

I recommend this film but people with delicate sensibilities might want to stay away.

Schools and drug awareness programs should use this film!

It was hard to watch the needles in the beginning. Needles in the arm. Neddles in the foot. In the neck. Then the needles stopped mattering. It got hard to watch the users. You end up realizing that these addicts are people, not just dirty bodies walking the streets. You can figure out why these people cannot stop. You see that they made a mistake a long time ago and that mistake held on. All of their friends are part of that mistake. Who do you go to when your trying to fix a mistake? Your friends. Notice how this won't work. This film makes you see these people as people. The types that have to sleep on sidewalks. Find this film and watch it.

After seeing this documentary, I, like most people, wondered what the fate of those featured was. WELL, surprisingly enough, I was at the dog park today in Portland, Oregon and noticed a familiar face. It was none other than Alice, the punk rock girl from the movie! I found it hard to believe that it was really her, so I went up and talked to her and sure enough, it was! I guess she moved here 6 years ago and has been clean ever since! She told me that they were talking about doing a 'where are they now?' follow-up, but it never happened. I guess the lesbian girl who was working as a sex worker with HIV has since died, but most people are up to the same old. . .sad, but nice to know at the same time. People make choices, you know. Seeing her gave me hope. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me Alice, wherever u are.

xo sigrun