addiction treatment

More adolescents might have access to Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT, for substance use disorder thanks to a bill that passed committee on a party line vote Friday.

A study done last year found that seven out of 10 pills sold on the street contain potentially lethal doses of synthetic drugs. Over 150 people nationwide die every day from these substances, like fentanyl or xylazine. A new harm reduction initiative in the Albuquerque music scene aims to help educate and protect people from these fates.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham still says there is a high likelihood that she’ll call a special legislative session this year to try to get more public safety bills on the books.One of those laws could require people who panhandle to get business licenses.

A board that advises Bernalillo County programs on addiction treatment and harm reduction is looking for four new members. The 15-seat board includes medical providers and addiction specialists.

New Mexico has not raised its alcohol excise tax since 1993, but not for lack of trying. Numerous bills have been introduced over the last three decades, but none have been signed into law. Last year, an increase made it through the Roundhouse only to be vetoed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. This year, lawmakers in the state with the highest alcohol-related death rate in the country are giving it another go.

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.

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.

A summit in Taos later this week will focus on barriers to recovery people with addictions face, and organizers say they hope to see elected officials and members of the media as well as the public there.