Drug overdose deaths, ER visits rise in Taos, Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties

The New Mexico Department of Health on Thursday reported a gargantuan spike in drug overdose deaths and related emergency room visits during the first half of 2025 in Taos, Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties.

Taos saw the most significant increase in drug-related emergencies, with a 340% rise in overdose deaths and a 206% spike in related ER visits compared to the first half of 2024.

Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties experienced spikes in fatal drug overdoses of 104% and 48%, respectively, over the same period. ER visits tied to overdoses increased 131% in Santa Fe County and 81% in Rio Arriba County.

Fentanyl use was linked to the majority of fatalities, NMDOH reported.

The NMDOH Adulterant Checking Program, established in November 2023, detected higher concentrations of the synthetic opioid in illicit drugs in the first half of 2025. While typical samples contain 1% fentanyl, NMDOH found recent samples had concentrations as high as 20%.

“Opioid use impacts people and communities across New Mexico,” said David Daniels, NMDOH’s harm reduction section manager. “We have contacted our partners in these counties to ensure they are raising awareness with their clients and reinforcing overdose prevention methods.”

The NMDOH report noted that drug overdose deaths have risen consistently in Taos and Rio Arriba counties since the first quarter of 2024, with cocaine and methamphetamine also noted as significant drivers of drug-related emergencies.

While fatal drug overdoses increased the most among adults between the ages of 55 and 64 in Rio Arriba, middle-aged adults between the ages of 35 and 44 in Santa Fe County and 25 and 34 in Taos County were most impacted, according to the data.

A Journal investigation earlier this month into crime rates in Rio Arriba found that overdose deaths in the area have been on the rise this year, with deaths from drugs nearly doubling in Española.

“Española has had that reputation as almost a drug nexus for the state of New Mexico,” Española Police Chief Mizel Garcia said. “It started with heroin, and now we have significant issues with fentanyl. We’re trying to address that.”

In Taos County, whose population is the smallest of the three areas at roughly 34,000 residents based on 2024 census data, the nonprofit Taos Alive Coalition has been raising awareness and galvanizing community action against drug use since 2010.

“Thankfully, Taos County has been very receptive as a whole to welcoming myself and others into trainings for their staff and the community for distributing thousands of boxes of Narcan,” said Taos Alive Director Miles Bonny, referring to the opioid-overdose reversal nasal spray also known as Naloxone. “Actually, the big news is that there’s now a free Narcan vending machine inside the Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program in Taos with 150 boxes in it.”

Bonny said the rise in drug overdoses in the first half of the year could be partly due to an increase in powder fentanyl, which he said can be harder for opioid users to dose safely compared to the ubiquitous “blue pills.”

Following the spike, he said provisional data for Taos County indicates drug overdose deaths may be stabilizing in the second half of the year.

In a statement, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said the NMDOH announcement “should serve as an alarm bell in the night for everyone in our community. Fentanyl is a plague and a scourge worse than any addictive substance we’ve ever seen.

“What we need right now is a summit that brings together federal, state, and local resources to immediately agree on a coordinated strategy that can reverse this tide of death,” Webber continued. “Without such a plan, I fear that the problem will continue to grow and claim more lives and cause irreparable damage.”