Inside Heroin Addiction and Homelessness in Salt Lake City

At ten dollars a pop, a balloon—or “B” for short—carries one-tenth to two-tenths of a gram of your favored drug. Once sold in tiny water balloons—hence the name—ten-spots now come packaged in a small patch of garbage bag that has been folded over, twisted like a loaf of bread, tied off, and double layered. To keep things orderly, heroin comes in black plastic, cocaine in white plastic.

No Access

I first met Ryan Muirhead on a stoop in 2009. He sat effeminately, knees pulled up to his chest, ankles crossed, arms wrapped around shins, one hand clasping one wrist. This was before he was Instafamous, before he globetrotted, speaking at audiences of seasoned photographers seeking more depth. I didn't recognize in him then artistic aptitude or uncompromising vision. But then, I wouldn't have. Mostly I saw an awkward flannel-wearing longhair whose scratchy voice seemed always one note from breaking, like a dam holding back hurt.

The Boxcar Kids

Sometimes in the late hours, usually between one and four a.m., when the night is taut and black and all that remains of the crowds is echoing whispers, three or four or six overgrown youth will circle within the gold light, among the stuffed beasts and skeletal fragments and vintage tools, and share wine or whiskey or whatever alcohol can be found hiding in a dilapidated desk drawer. The stars turn overhead. Those gathered begin to skip and leapfrog their words, so that they end up communicating more through vibes and frequencies than actual language.

Spice on the Streets

In Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande area, spice is commonplace, although hard to spot. Users can be seen slumping on sidewalks or moping like zombies down dingy streets after puffing tiny joints. Operation Rio Grande — the multimillion-dollar, multiagency effort to rid the area of illicit drugs — has produced mixed results. While law enforcement has stifled the open heroin and meth market, the use of spice, easier to conceal and harder to prosecute, has increased.