Overdose deaths in New Mexico reached all-time high in 2020

Overdose deaths from alcohol, fentanyl and methamphetamine reached an all-time high in New Mexico in 2020, according to a new report presented to state lawmakers on Thursday.

The report revealed that Fentanyl-related deaths saw a near 129 percent increase from 2019 to 2020 in preliminary figures, with numbers expected to increase.

Legislative analysts presented the findings to New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee.

Cally Carswell, a program evaluator with the committee, also detailed some other statistics facing citizens in the state, including that about 43,000 New Mexicans within the last 30 years have died from alcohol and drug overdoses, The Associated Press reported.

Carswell also reportedly acknowledged that the drug epidemic in the state has shifted over time, with fentanyl and meth surpassing opioids and heroin as the leading causes of overdose deaths.

“This is important because the details of the problem should inform the solutions,” she said.

Carswell added that some state programs designed to aid with harm reduction are not equipped to handle fentanyl and meth use due to outdated laws. These statutes only address intravenous drug use, according to the wire service. These measures also limit the use of test strips created to determine if fentanyl has been used in other drugs.

Nearly 134,000 New Mexicans dealing with substance abuse are not currently receiving treatment, according to the report.

The executive director of the Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program, Lawrence Medina, also told state lawmakers of the struggles that New Mexicans are facing to get help, adding that he is making an effort to open a treatment center to prevent people from ending up in the hospital or jail.

He added that he himself benefitted from a treatment program about three decades ago.

“Recovery is alive and well,” he said, according to the AP.