addiction

On Saturday, almost 200 people packed into a conference room at the International District Library to give their input on how the county and city governments should fight the opioid epidemic. The two governments have partnered to share their portion of New Mexico's Opioid Settlement Funds, which they've paused spending while crafting a strategic plan for the almost $150 million, 70% of which has to be spent fighting the opioid crisis.

There’s a push in the legislature to make it easier for minors to get medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder. Twin bills in the House and Senate call for the state to stop funding programs that restrict the treatment, while creating a fund to support programs that offer it.

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.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s September public health order didn’t only call for a ban on open and concealed carry of firearms. It also has several measures aimed at reducing illegal drug use in adults and young people. Youth detention numbers have been rising since the order took effect, and while the governor said that could get more young people into addiction treatment, experts say otherwise.

So far, there have been 45 indictments in connection with the fraud by the Arizona Attorney-General's office, and more than 300 facilities have been suspended.

While New Mexico has long struggled with the nation’s highest rate of alcohol-related deaths, the pandemic has inflamed the issue, according to a report released Thursday. The state saw an average of six people die each day from alcohol in 2021, and few living with the addiction are getting treatment.

New Mexico’s senior U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich is leading a bipartisan call for the Drug Enforcement Administration to make the opioid addiction medication buprenorphine more accessible. In a letter to the agency this week, the group of senators argue the DEA needs to be more transparent about its policies.

Let's Talk NM 9/29 8a: People with substance use disorders often face stigma and discrimination when seeking medical care. Some healthcare providers will blame the patient's SUD for unrelated health problems, even after years of sobriety. That can allow conditions that would be routine procedures under normal circumstances turn into larger, sometimes life-threatening, problems. Moreover, the negative experience from the patient's perspective can make them less likely to seek care in the future.

A newly signed law will make it legal to possess tests to show if a drug contains fentanyl, the number one killer of adults 18-45. But last year, a bill to authorize safe drug consumption sites failed to pass the legislature. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico we’ll dive into harm reduction strategies, whether they work and why they make people so uncomfortable.

On this #YNMG we’re dedicating the entire episode to one piece of legislation that is now on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk waiting for her signature. House Bill 52 is an amendment to the Harm Reduction Act. Overdoses from Fentanyl are the top killer of young adults in New Mexico, but HB52 will give drug users a new tool that will make them a little safer – fentanyl test strips.