Drug dealer Rick Bolivia exhales a hit of methamphetamine in his room in the Pacoima area of Los Angeles, Calif. on Oct. 22, 2015. Photo by Joshua Duarte
The lighter clicks on, the flame burns the glass, the smoke fills the room, it smell like burning plastic. He puts the pipe to his lips and inhales. Two seconds go by and he lets out a massive cloud of smoke. “You can’t hold it in too long if you do it’ll fuck up your lungs,” he said.
He bags up the methamphetamine and selling cigarettes dipped in Phencyclidine also known as P.C.P. The dealer is Rick Bolivia he has been operating in the Pacoima area of Los Angeles, California for about 4 years. Bolivia is 34 years old and has lived in Pacoima all his life. He has been addicted to hard drugs for about 16-18 years and started to sell drugs about 5 years ago. Bolivia also recycles aluminum, copper, brass and paper along with other metals to get money for his habit.
Once high Bolivia disassembles electronics, strip wire, or he will play Grand Theft Auto V on his XBOX One.
“That shit just gets me on one,” Bolivia said about his methamphetamine high. “One hit of this shit and it makes you feel like fucking Superman,” Rola said, a customer of Bolivias.
He is sure that he will never stop using methamphetamines or other drugs.
James McKeever professor of sociology at Pierce College adds input on drug addiction.
“Every alcoholic or addict has to reach their bottom sometimes sad to say the bottom could be the grave,” McKeever said. “They can only get help when they decide that they really really need help”