SENATE MEMORIAL 104

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2016

INTRODUCED BY

Craig W. Brandt

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG MISUSE AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION AND PAIN MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE RISK FACTORS FOR, IMPACT OF AND WAYS TO PREVENT DEATHS DUE TO OPIOID ABUSE, MISUSE AND DEPENDENCE IN NEW MEXICO; REQUESTING THE STATE MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR TO PROVIDE TO THE TASK FORCE DATA ON OPIOID OVERDOSES.

     WHEREAS, the use and misuse of prescription pain drugs, such as opioids, have become an increasing problem in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, over one hundred million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain, including debilitating conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and lower back pain; and

     WHEREAS, many individuals who live with chronic pain are prescribed opioid medications to manage their pain; and

     WHEREAS, many people who take opioids to manage their pain are able to do so in compliance with their prescriptions without becoming dependent; and

     WHEREAS, other individuals are at risk of poisoning due to opioid misuse from errors made in following their prescription guidelines; and

     WHEREAS, some individuals are at risk of poisoning due to dependence upon prescription opioids that leads them to take increasing doses and potentially to overdose; and

     WHEREAS, some individuals abuse opioids by taking them without a prescription or in deliberate contravention of prescription guidelines; and

     WHEREAS, the behavioral, physical and social determinants of prescription drug abuse, misuse and dependence are complex; and

     WHEREAS, it is not known why many people abuse, misuse or become addicted to prescription drugs as, according to the national council on alcohol and drug dependence, risk for addiction is influenced by a combination of factors that include individual biology, social environment and age or stage of development; and

     WHEREAS, in 2014, the rate of deaths from prescription drug overdose in New Mexico reached twenty-six and four-tenths per one hundred thousand residents, falling just short of double the national average; and

     WHEREAS, in 2014, five hundred thirty-six New Mexicans died tragically of prescription drug overdoses, a figure that represents more deaths lost to drug overdoses than in any other year on record; and

     WHEREAS, it is not known how many of these deaths were due to abuse, misuse or dependence; and

     WHEREAS, it is not known how many of these deaths could have been prevented by addressing some of the complex behavioral, physical and social risk factors for opioid misuse, abuse and dependence;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the prescription drug misuse and overdose prevention and pain management advisory council be requested to convene a task force consisting of qualified staff and representatives from the senate, the house of representatives, the human services department, the board of pharmacy, the department of public safety, local law enforcement offices and other experts from the New Mexico medical board, the board of osteopathic medical examiners, health maintenance organizations, pharmacists and pharmaceutical manufacturers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the prescription drug misuse and overdose prevention and pain management advisory council be requested to invite qualified staff from the local United States attorney's office, the New Mexico region southwest border high intensity drug trafficking area and the United States drug enforcement agency to participate in task force meetings; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be requested to include in its study an analysis of the impact of and ways to prevent opioid abuse and overdose deaths in New Mexico, including ways to prevent opioid misuse, abuse and dependence while preserving access to appropriate pain treatment for patients who are able to use prescription pain drugs safely; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be requested to analyze appropriate pain treatments, including abuse-deterrent formulation opioid therapies and alternatives to opioid prescriptions; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state medical investigator be requested to provide de-identified, aggregate data that describe the manner and number of deaths due to opioid overdose in the state as well as de-identified, aggregate demographic data relating to New Mexicans who have died due to opioid overdose; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the president pro tempore of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the secretary of health and the secretary of human services.