Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Regional law enforcement officials do not believe a recently adopted strategy approaching opioid addiction as a disease rather than a crime will be effective in rural New Mexico.
The new approach, called “do no harm”, has been adopted by multiple larger municipalities across the nation.
Taking a different stance to opioid use, this new initiative invites drug users to approach police officers with their problem to get assistance. This approach is being favored over treating opioid use as a criminal offense.
“I have yet to have one addict approach me with their drugs, surrender themselves and ask for assistance,” said Quay County Sheriff Russell Shafer.
Supporters of this new initiative believe based on the incarceration rates from the “War on Drugs” that law enforcement actions alone have not and will not be enough to end the opioid epidemic, according to a recent article in The Municipal Reporter.
“Community outreach and education are key components in curbing, preventing addiction,” the article reads.
Shafer said addicts choose to be in the situation, and if it’s a disease, then they should seek treatment, just as a person diagnosed with cancer would. The addict knows they have a problem, yet they don’t seek treatment until it’s court ordered or an intervention by family, he added.
“An addict can bring me their drugs, but I can’t treat them; I’m not a doctor,” Shafer said. “I can take them to the hospital where they can be refereed to treatment, but in rural areas, treatment programs are limited.”
Clovis Police Department Captain Roman Romero said the new approach to opioids is “interesting” but not necessarily viable.
“Having people come forward to admit their problem is generally the big leap. I’ve only seen people do that when arrested,” said Romero.
He said the CPD already concentrates on getting people the help they need over the crime in cases of an overdose. He said their first goal is to get victims to a hospital, generally without arrests.
Shafer said the “do no harm” strategy may work in larger cities with the funding and organizations available to implement such an approach, but attributing their addiction to a disease may just give the addict another excuse to continue their self-destructive habit.
“They are basically telling the addict they are addicted to drugs because they are sick,” Shafer said. “I’m not trying to sound heartless, but the reason they are addicted is because they chose to be.”
Shafer said there needs to be self-accountability by the addict; they have to recognize they have a problem and want to seek treatment.
Another factor to opioid use is the new danger to first responders with the rise of a powerful opioid drug called Fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, according to a Drug Enforcement Agency press release.
Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin or through accidental inhalation of airborne powder. Adverse health effects, such as disorientation, coughing, sedation, respiratory distress or cardiac arrest usually occur within minutes of exposure.
Shafer said the risk to law enforcement and first responders is very real. He said even a small amount of contact with this drug can result in severe health complication and could turn responders into victims.
In April, New Mexico passed legislation to become the first state to require law enforcement to carry naloxone, a nasal spray drug designed to prevent opioid overdose death. This legislation was enacted to combat the state’s high overdose death rate, which has been one of the highest in the nation for the last two decades, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Shafer said while he understands the state’s passing of the legislation, there has yet to be any clear indication of how the mandate will be funded or what training will be available.
This is a concern shared by Roosevelt County Sheriff Malin Parker, who said he worries about non-medical professionals administering any kind of drug though he is eager to see if the training will fix that.
“We have experienced opioid overdose death in Roosevelt County. This has the potential to save lives, but I am concerned about law enforcement administering it,” said Parker.
Shafer said the naloxone legislation is a double-edge sword. While it may save lives, it sends a dangerous message to the addict: “Don’t worry about overdosing; we’ll save you.”
— Staff Writer Anna George contributed to this report