5. New drug realities
A restaurant in Seattle is drawing fire on social media for adding an unusual guest amenity: special trashcans where drug abusers can dispose of used syringes or needles.
Outraged locals have accused Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe of encouraging heroin use by providing the bins. But the restaurant contends it’s merely addressing the unpleasant reality of widespread addiction within the progressive city while keeping employees safe from accidental contamination when they empty trash receptacles.
When a local radio station visited the restaurant, it found the receptacles bristling with used needles. The restaurant noted that it has not called attention to the specialized bins in any way, underscoring that the problem is coming to the restaurant without being invited.
The situation is another example of food outlets adjusting to harsh new realities. As we reported in December, the Sheetz convenience store chain was testing blue bathroom lights as a way of discouraging intravenous drug abusers from shooting up on the premises. Veins, which look blue under the skin, are harder to spot in blue light.