HM 56 — STUDY HEROIN-ASSISTED TREATMENT

HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE MEMORIAL 56 53RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION , 2018 4 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO CHARGE THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE WITH HEARING TESTIMONY ON INJECTABLE OPIOID TREATMENT AS A FEASIBLE, EFFECTIVE AND COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR REDUCING DRUG USE AND DRUG-RELATED HARM AMONG LONG-TERM HEROIN USERS FOR WHOM OTHER TREATMENT PROGRAMS HAVE FAILED.

e9 t 17 w l n d 18 WHEREAS, New Mexico has long been concerned about the high = = 19 rate of opioid misuse and dependency and the impact on the a l i a e r 20 people of New Mexico;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, the rate for New Mexico overdose-related deaths d r e 22 in 2016 was over twenty-five per one hundred thousand c e s k 23 population, higher than the national average of almost twenty e a n b 24 deaths per one hundred thousand population;

and u [ WHEREAS, there are areas within New Mexico with drug .210489.1 HHHC/HM 56 overdose death rates as high as ninety per one hundred thousand;

and WHEREAS, people who use opioids, including heroin and prescription medications, are at risk for health-related harm associated with their use, such as blood-borne infections HHHC/HM 56 like human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C, skin Page 1 infections at injection sites, venous damage and, ultimately, death due to overdose;

and e e 17 WHEREAS, for people who use drugs who have not found e e n d 18 success with methadone, suboxone or other treatments, the most = = l ] 19 dramatic developments in drug substitution therapies have been a l r i 20 in injectable opioid treatments;

and t e a t WHEREAS, "injectable opioid treatment" means the m m 21 e d administering or dispensing of pharmaceutical-grade heroin, r e 22 c e r c 23 known as "diacetylmorphine", or another injectable opioid such e a n b 24 as hydromorphone, by medical practitioners under strict u [ controls in a clinical setting to select heroin-dependent .210489.1 - 2 - HHHC/HM 56 persons;

and WHEREAS, heroin use disorder can be understood by consulting the description of opioid use disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth HHHC/HM 56 Page 2 edition, published by the American psychiatric association, and is identified as including a maladaptive pattern of heroin use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress and a combination of several of the following signs and symptoms:

a desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or e e 17 control heroin use;

e e n d 18 D.

a loss of social, occupational or recreational = = l ] 19 activities because of heroin use;

and a l r i 20 E.

t e a t and m m 21 e d WHEREAS, permanent heroin-assisted treatment programs have r e 22 c e r c 23 been established in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the e a n b 24 Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, with additional trial u [ programs having been completed or currently taking place in .210489.1 - 3 - HHHC/HM 56 Spain, Belgium and Canada;

HHHC/HM 56 Page 3 C.

and e e 17 H.

heroin-assisted treatment is cost effective, in e e n d 18 that the cost-savings from the benefits attributable to heroin-heroin-assisted = = l ] 19 assisted treatment far outweigh the cost of program operation a l r i 20 over the long run;

and t e a t WHEREAS, retention rates in heroin-assisted treatment m m 21 e d programs dwarf those of conventional treatments;

and r e 22 c e r c 23 WHEREAS, further, because participants in heroin-assisted e a n b 24 treatment programs are much less likely to commit acquisitive u [ crimes and other offenses, not including drug-related offenses, .210489.1 - 4 - HHHC/HM 56 such programs have also been shown to decrease crime in areas where they are situated, which also leads to cost savings;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico legislative council be requested to charge the legislative health and human services committee with hearing HHHC/HM 56 Page 4 testimony related to injectable opioid treatment as a feasible, effective and cost-effective strategy for reducing drug use and drug-related harm among long-term heroin users in New Mexico for whom other treatment programs have failed;

the e e 17 secretary of public safety;

the chancellor for health sciences e e n d 18 of the university of New Mexico;

the president of New Mexico = = l ] 19 state university;

and the executive director of the New Mexico a l r i 20 association of counties.

tHHHC/HM e56 aPage t - 5 -25 m m 21 e d r e 22 c e r c 23 e a n b 24 u [ .210489.1