NO OBSESSIONS

My father died this summer at the age of 69, of lung cancer. For over 40 years he smoked 3 packs a day of sigarettes and injected himself quite strong quantities of morphine every day. He used to say that he got addicted to morphine when, due to the wounds of a road accident, doctors had tried for a long period of time to alleviate the pain with that specific "drug". From then on, with a special prescription, he periodically went to the chemist to take morphine, paying it at a cheap price. His was not, of course, an easy or happy life, however it wasn't desperate either, and he did experience periods of serenity and even happiness. Above all, his life wasn't destroyed by a one obsession, that to provide himself with drugs. My father used to paint, he had friends, he was loved by his brothers and by his family, he used to read a lot, he was interested in politics, in sports and in many other things, he was a great talker and people found him both interesting and nice. He never had the need to steal, he never

had anything to do with the police, he never had to bother his relatives. The State provided him with drugs for 40 years, and spent for it - more or less - the amount of money he spent on sigarettes, those too provided by the State. It was sigarettes that finally killed him. (Signed letter, Rome)

I have written this letter out to contribute to it's greatest diffusion possible.