New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has announced a new initiative aimed at attacking opioid abuse in the state.
The attorney general's "Project OPEN: Opioid Prevention & Education Network" will kick off January 11th in Albuquerque and will hopes to education the public on New Mexico's opioid crisis.
Opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths nationwide and in New Mexico. In 2015, only seven other states had higher overdose rates than New Mexico. West Virginia witnessed nearly 42 overdose deaths per 100,000 people, while New Mexico had more than 25.
The kick-off event is aimed at attorneys, policy advisers, and others fighting heroin and prescription opioid addiction. Workshops will range from treatment options to identifying fraud.
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