NM Governor Spearheads Campaign Against Prescription Drug Abuse

June 26, 2012

The United States is drowning in the prescription painkiller epidemic and years of growing death rates have not stopped the rising rates of new addictions. Every year, new statistics are released that demonstrate the sinister nature of the problem – increased number of overdose deaths, increased number of ER visits due to abuse of the drug, higher numbers of painkiller addicts seeking addiction treatment.

In New Mexico, Gov. Susana Martinez is making a concerted effort to fight back against the problem. Her new campaign, “No Exceptions,” is a statewide effort to educate parents, teachers and students about the deadly nature of all opiates – prescription painkillers like hydrocodone and OxyContin, as well as street drugs like heroin.

The Relationship Between Rising Rates of Painkiller Addiction and Heroin Addiction

In today’s world, it’s relatively common knowledge that heroin is a deadly drug, and because of that, few of today’s new heroin addicts begin their opiate dependence through abusing heroin. How does the addiction happen then? Prescription painkillers.

An opiate medication, prescription drugs prescribed to treat pain, like Lortab, Percocet, Percodan and others, are chemically similar to heroin. However, they are far more expensive and, in some ways, far easier to get. You don’t need a prescription for heroin, and the cheaper drug often becomes the primary drug of choice when patients lose access to a steady stream of pills or need a higher dose but can’t get it legally.

New Mexico and Opiate Addiction

According to Eyewitness News 4 KOB, more people die due to drug overdose in New Mexico than in any other state in the country. About 40 percent of these overdoses are due to prescription drugs.

Says Gov. Martinez: “The face of opioid addiction is becoming younger and younger. By providing education on drug abuse before it starts, we can save lives.”

The “No Exceptions” campaign is comprised of television and radio public service advertisements as well as the dissemination of a 30-minute drug addiction awareness documentary to every high school and middle school in New Mexico.

Early Treatment Can Save Your Life

If you are developing a physical and psychological dependence upon your prescription painkiller, getting help sooner rather than later can save your life. Every day you avoid actively abusing your drug of choice, you also avoid the risk of overdose, the contraction of a disease through needle use, the contraction of other illnesses that come with contaminated heroin, and the risk of death due to accident.