by Zuzanna Kajzer
news@dailylobo.com
Fatal drug overdoses occur in New Mexico at a rate double that of the rest of the country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2009 about 12 per 100,000 deaths in the United States were the result of an overdose. But in New Mexico, that rate was about 22 per 100,000 deaths.
In 2011, the rate for drug overdose deaths in New Mexico increased to about 27 per 100,000 deaths.
In 2011, New Mexico state Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (D-Bernalillo) sponsored Senate Memorial 18, “New Mexico Drug Task Force,” which carries out an initiative to conduct a statewide substance abuse review and finds ways to potentially minimize the problem. The review is an annual plan that documents the extent of New Mexico’s substance abuse problem. Its aim is to present the effectiveness of the already implemented changes and describe the needs for the future.
Policy analyst Harris Silver gave a talk on Nov. 5 about ways to prevent substance abuse problems.
Silver said that, although New Mexico has some of the highest rates of drug overdose and abuse, the state is the second to last in the country in terms of access to substance abuse treatment. He said prescription opioid painkillers are the leading cause for drug overdose, killing more people than illegal substances such as heroin and cocaine.
According to the CDC, prescription opioid overdoses accounted for 35,500 deaths in the United States in 2011, while illegal drugs accounted for about 20,700 deaths.
“America is a ‘pain killer nation,’” he said. “Anyone know what is the most popular prescribed drug? It’s not Viagra, it’s Vicodin.”
Silvers said people who don’t have access to prescription drugs turn to cheaper and more accessible drugs, such as heroin, which has similar effects to prescription painkillers. He said some even resort to stealing medication from others’ medicine cabinets.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people pretend to be potential house buyers only to visit houses and go through owners’ medicine cabinets,” he said.
Silver said people should quit taking drugs before addictions develop and get evaluated for vulnerability to substance abuse.
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States should increase residents’ accessibility to Narcan, a drug that counteracts the overdose effects of opiates, and enforce drug laws.
Silver said the New Mexico Prescription Drug Monitoring Program mandates that all controlled-substance providers register with the program. It also requires pharmacies to report prescription drug purchase information. The program began in 2005 with $250,000 in federal grant funding, but the program has not received funding since its creation.
“We have a disastrous health care system,” he said. “And it can get worse any day.”
