SENATE MEMORIAL 55

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Gerald Ortiz y Pino

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING FEBRUARY 22, 2023 "FENTANYL AWARENESS DAY" IN THE SENATE.

     WHEREAS, Bernalillo county and the city of Albuquerque have partnered to combat the epidemic of fentanyl use and abuse and the subsequent overdose poisonings that have plagued and continue to plague New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, Bernalillo county and the city of Albuquerque partnered in October 2022 to bring public educational awareness to the fentanyl issue by conducting a fentanyl awareness summit, which included and continues to provide a fentanyl awareness media campaign titled keepNMalive; and

     WHEREAS, Bernalillo county and the city of Albuquerque have established partnering relationships with subject matter experts from multiple fields: medical, harm reduction, judicial, law enforcement, community treatment providers, those with lived experience and community support networks; and

     WHEREAS, the latest research from the department of health shows that two thousand six hundred forty-two New Mexicans have lost their lives to unintentional overdoses between 2016 and 2020; and

     WHEREAS, according to the national institute on drug abuse, synthetic opioids, which include fentanyl, were the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, the department of health notes that fentanyl-involved overdose rates have steadily increased in New Mexico and, in 2020, have accounted for more than one-third of overdose deaths in the state; and

     WHEREAS, the department of health also notes that in 2020, the death rate for fentanyl cases was nearly seven times what it was in 2016; and

     WHEREAS, no single system, not judicial, law enforcement, treatment services or families, is solely equipped to manage the multifaceted problem of fentanyl use, abuse and addiction; and

     WHEREAS, the fentanyl epidemic as it exists today requires a collaborative approach to include the legislature, the judicial system, law enforcement, the department of health's harm reduction program, detention facilities, treatment providers, families and members of the community in order to address the complexity of the current situation;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 22, 2023 be declared "Fentanyl Awareness Day" in the senate; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a collaborative approach to addressing the fentanyl epidemic be supported; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the county manager of Bernalillo county, the mayor of the city of Albuquerque, the secretary of health, the governor and members of the state legislature.

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