Ahead of the legislative session that starts January 16, several health and civil rights advocates are pushing for the state to invest more in addiction treatment and housing. They are also calling for the state to put fewer resources towards what they call criminalization tactics.
Vanessa Hulliger’s son used to be a high school student who struggled with addiction. She said finding him help took a very long time.
“He finally was able to see a therapist, but was quickly referred to another who specialized in pediatric drug abuse. We were placed on another extremely long waiting list,” Hulliger said.
He later was shot four times and incarcerated over his involvement in a drug deal. Hulliger believes the story could have had a different ending if he’d gotten timely treatment.
She spoke at a press conference Thursday, where she called for the governor and legislature to prioritize health care and housing in the upcoming legislative session. Joining her were the Chief Strategy Officer of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless Rachael Biggs, Dr. Alexandra Ninneman from the UNM Health Sciences Center, and ACLU of New Mexico Director of Public Policy Nayomi Valdez.
“We must resist the temptation to look for a quick fix – policies in the form of punishment, more law enforcement, criminalization and things that ultimately harm our communities and don't make us any safer,” Valdez said.
The group instead is encouraging state officials to put more money towards behavioral health care, treatment for substance use disorder and housing programs.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham released her budget proposal last week. In it, she included over $500 million for housing and homelessness services and over $2 billion towards healthcare generally, including behavioral health. She also proposed 14% raises for state police officers as opposed to 3% raises for other state employees, along with $35 million for corrections and law enforcement recruitment.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
