Partners Launch Anti-Opioid Effort In New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials are partnering with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center on a new project aimed at boosting access to a life-saving drug used to combat opioid overdoses. Officials announced the Naxolone Project during a news conference Monday in Albuquerque. The announcement comes as federal prosecutors across the country sponsor events to increase awareness and discuss possible solutions to the growing epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse. The goal of the latest project is to enlist more law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to implement protocols and carry naxolone. The most recent federal data available shows New Mexico is second only to West Virginia in per-capita deaths primarily due to prescription and illegal opioid drugs.