A new analysis from the New Mexico Department of Health shows a decline in overdose deaths in the state.
The NMDOH announced yesterday that overdose deaths statewide went down for the second consecutive year since 2021.
The number of people dying from ODs has dropped 8% statewide since 2021.
That’s when the number of overdose deaths peaked at 1,029, according to data compiled by the epidemiology team at NMDOH.
In 2022, New Mexico had 997 overdose deaths. That number has fallen to 948 overdose deaths in 2023.
NMDOH interim secretary Gina DeBlassie called the numbers “welcome news,” but that the complexity of the problem requires much more work ahead.
Fentanyl was involved in 65% of overdose deaths in 2023 and Methamphetamine, 51%.
In 2023, most overdose deaths (84%) occurred among New Mexicans aged 25-64 years, 26 percent overall occurred in the 35-44 years group
There were four New Mexico counties with a mortality rate higher in 2023 than the state average - those are Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, and Santa Fe.