{"id":31810,"date":"2023-09-12T17:57:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T23:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/n-m-public-health-order-isnt-only-about-guns\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T01:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T07:47:09","slug":"n-m-public-health-order-isnt-only-about-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/n-m-public-health-order-isnt-only-about-guns\/","title":{"rendered":"N.M. public health order isn\u2019t only about guns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"This
This undated photo pshows some of the seized approximately 1 million fake pills containing fentanyl that were seized when agents served a search warrant, July 5, 2022, at a home in Inglewood, California. (Drug Enforcement Administration)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Media and public attention has so far focused mostly on the parts of the New Mexico public health order related to firearms. The executive action signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last week does a number of other things.<\/p>\n

One of the two executive orders that provide the rationale for the public health order is entirely focused on what the governor\u2019s administration refers to as \u201ca growing and alarming trend of drug abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lujan Grisham signed Executive Order 2023-132 on Sept. 8, the day before her health secretary signed the public health order. She wrote that drug use has resulted in a strain on health care resources, increased crime rates, homelessness and \u201cdisrupted family structures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State\u2019s existing efforts to combat drug abuse, including prevention, treatment, and law enforcement initiatives, require immediate reinforcement and coordination to effectively address this public health crisis,\u201d Lujan Grisham wrote in the order. \u201cIt is essential to marshal all available resources to mitigate the harms caused by drug abuse and to provide support and treatment options for individuals and families affected by this epidemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The executive order on drugs cites data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing there were 1,501 fatal overdoses reported in New Mexico in 2021, resulting in the fifth highest overdose rate in the United States.<\/p>\n

In the order, Lujan Grisham attributed a surge in fatal overdoses to the accessibility and prevalence of synthetic opioids like fentanyl.<\/p>\n

However, the public health order putting the executive orders into practice does not mention any support or treatment for drug users.<\/p>\n

On Friday night, Source NM<\/em> asked the governor\u2019s office for the big picture public health reasoning for the new executive order. We asked to talk about how the order could save lives and prevent harm from a public health standpoint.<\/p>\n

The public health order includes detailed plans for the New Mexico Department of Health to make a report on gun violence. We asked for the administration\u2019s thinking around that data collection effort.<\/p>\n

We also asked for examples that could be used to explain what the public health order does and how it could work.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the governor on Monday said there would be a response to those questions. By Monday evening there was no answer. We will update when and if we do receive a response.<\/p>\n

ACLU warns about criminalization of young New Mexicans<\/div>\n

On Monday, the New Mexico chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union released a statement raising concerns that Lujan Grisham\u2019s use of emergency powers could lead to overzealous policing and senseless incarceration.<\/p>\n

ACLU of New Mexico litigation manager Lalita Moskowitz said that Lujan Grisham\u2019s solution to substance use disorder and gun violence \u201cis to pour more resources into law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, this kind of approach leads to the over-policing of our communities, racial profiling, and increased misery in the lives of already marginalized people,\u201d Moskowitz said. \u201cInstead, (Gov. Lujan Grisham) should be following evidence-based solutions such as meaningful diversion and violence intervention programs and addressing the root causes of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moskowitz said initiatives that prioritize treatment and improve access to services to facilitate recovery are \u201cfar more effective than criminalization or incarceration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Testing sewers for drugs<\/div>\n

The public health order also directs the state health and environmental departments to test sewer systems at all public schools for drugs, specifically fentanyl.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe children and youth of New Mexico are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of drug abuse, as evidenced by the rising number of cases involving parental substance abuse and its subsequent effect on child welfare,\u201d Lujan Grisham wrote in the executive order on drugs.<\/p>\n

Source NM <\/em>asked the governor\u2019s office if this part of the order applies statewide, or is limited to Albuquerque and Bernalillo County like the firearm possession provision.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also asked if any schools in the state are prepared to do this kind of testing, how the state agencies will do the testing and when it will begin.<\/p>\n

Moskowitz said the fentanyl crisis is severe, but the ACLU opposes \u201cany actions that risk further criminalizing our youth or individuals struggling with addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A collagen supplement bottle that concealed 500,000 fentanyl pills that were found in an SUV pulled over for speeding on Interstate 10 in Pinal County, Arizona, on May 23, 2022. (Casa Grande Police Department via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Juvenile program suspended<\/div>\n

The order also directs the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department to immediately suspend the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative and to \u201cevaluate juvenile probation protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program helps children avoid juvenile prison, Moskowitz said, and the ACLU is deeply concerned about the governor\u2019s decision to suspend it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that incarceration during childhood increases the likelihood that someone will end up in the adult criminal system,\u201d Moskowitz said. \u201cEnding a program that helps young people find a different path is counterproductive to public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source NM<\/em> has asked the governor\u2019s office how the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative and juvenile probation are the source of gun violence.<\/p>\n

Source NM is an independent, nonprofit news organization that shines a light on governments, policies and public officials.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

concerns about criminalization of young people<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-31810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31810"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81574,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31810\/revisions\/81574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31810"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=31810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}