"Beg says that for him all hope is lost. Even after he is buried, it'll take 70 years for the opium to ooze out of his bones. His hope, he says, are his grandkids — the only people in the family who are not yet addicts.

As Beg is getting high on a recent morning, the 1-year-old crawls over and starts playing with the opium pipe. He picks it up and shakes it, as if it were a rattle. Then, imitating his grandfather, he raises the pipe to his mouth."

Beyond sad.

Given his living conditions and my medical problems, I would likely become addicted also.

The entire article is very interesting - very sad though. Thanks for posting this.

pah, give us a break (: