Lujan Secures Funding to Combat Opioid Epidemic in New Mexico and Other Parts of the Country

Press Release

Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM03) today announced that $500 million in federal funding has been secured as the first part of a $1 billion total allotment to combat the opioid epidemic which has deeply impacted New Mexico and a number of other states. Earlier this year, Luján worked with the Obama Administration to introduce the Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act, which called for additional resources to increase treatment and prevention programs to address the opioid abuse crisis.

Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation containing language similar to Luján's original bill and set aside the first portion of the $1 billion in funding. The legislation was approved in the House by a margin of 326 to 96. The Senate is expected to take up the bill within the next few days.

Opioids -- a category that includes illegal drugs such as heroin and prescription medicines such as oxycodone, fentanyl and hydrocodone -- are effective painkillers, but they are also highly addictive.

Luján noted that for much of the past decade, New Mexico has ranked among the highest in the nation for drug overdose deaths. In 2014, the most recent year for which full statistics are available, about 47,000 people died of drug overdoses nationwide -- the majority of which are attributed to opioids. In New Mexico that year, 547 individuals died from drug overdoses -- more than died in motor vehicle crashes (367) or firearm accidents (339), according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"The opioid epidemic has devastated communities all across New Mexico. Generations of families are struggling with the economic, physical and emotional devastation that addiction to opioids leaves in its wake," said Luján. "The legislation the House approved today dedicates $500 million to combat this crisis. We cannot bring back those who we have lost, but we can provide a ray of hope to so many of our neighbors who are struggling with this problem."

The federal funding to address the opioid abuse crisis will be allocated to states on the basis of need through a block grant process. In order to receive its fair share, the State of New Mexico will have to apply for the appropriate grants. According to Luján, demonstrating a need for assistance in New Mexico should not be a problem.

"When I talk to New Mexicans on the frontlines of this crisis, the most urgent need is for more resources. That is why I introduced the Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act in the first place," Luján noted. "The funding measure my colleagues and I voted on today is very similar to my original legislation and will make a real difference in real people's lives. I am proud to have played a role in securing its passage."

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