43,000 Dead in 30 Years: New Mexico’s Drug and Alcohol Deaths Reach Historic Levels
New Mexico has long had some of the highest death rates from alcohol and drugs in the country.
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A new report has found that more than 43,000 New Mexicans have died from drugs and alcohol over the last 30 years, with drug overdose deaths increasing by 572 percent and alcohol-related deaths increasing by 165 percent since 1990, reports the Santa Fe New Mexican. In 2020 alone, 1,770 people died from alcohol-related causes and 766 from drug overdoses.
Fentanyl and methamphetamine, which are cheaper and easier to buy on the street, are driving the increase of deadly drug overdoses in New Mexico. The two drugs contributed to 78 percent of drug overdose deaths last year, the spike being partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased access to services amid worsening death rates “indicates treatment is an essential but incomplete solution,” according to the report, which recommends the state improve its prevention and early intervention programs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths jumped nearly 30 percent nationwide in 2020, a record high of more than 93,000 people.
