Health officials say fentanyl is driving a spike in Northern New Mexico overdoses; state expands testing and naloxone access

David Daniels, harm reduction section manager for the New Mexico Department of Health, told the Beyond County Lines podcast that Taos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe County are seeing a spike in overdoses tied to higher concentrations of fentanyl in street drugs. "We started seeing fentanyl... which means it was greater than 5%," Daniels said, describing a rise in readings from the program's checking machines.

The increase prompted state harm‑reduction staff and partners to emphasize testing, naloxone distribution and low‑barrier access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Philip Feudy, who said he is employed by Vital Strategies and embedded with the Department of Health, described four pilot sites providing adulterant testing and related services in Española (the Mountain Center), Albuquerque, Roswell and Las Cruces.

Why it matters: Officials said higher fentanyl concentrations and additives can make an otherwise familiar dose lethal. Daniels and Feudy warned that some batches include sedative additives (the speakers used the term…