Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)

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.

In the fight against the opioid epidemic, Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT, is widely considered the most effective treatment for opioid use disorders. Now, research from the University of New Mexico shows when given to people behind bars, it’s less likely they’ll end up going back once released.

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.

Access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction is limited in New Mexico, but particularly in rural communities. The Santa Fe Recovery Center is hoping to change that in northwest New Mexico’s McKinley County with the help of a sizable federal grant.

People in New Mexico state prisons are unable to access medication for addiction treatment unless they’re pregnant— even if they had been on medication before being incarcerated or were transferred from a handful of county jails that provide it. A new state law is going to change that.

"In brief, this ensures that the state keeps a close eye on vulnerable newborns and the family receives the support they need to thrive," said sponsor Senator Gay Kernan (R-Hobbs)

State prisons are required under the U.S. Constitution to provide “adequate medical care” to those they incarcerate. However, prisons in New Mexico and 16 other states do not provide inmates with medication for opioid addiction, and neither do most of its county jails. Advocates are calling on lawmakers to expand this treatment in New Mexico lockups in the upcoming legislative session.