During the current legislative session in New Mexico, Senator Manny Aragon (D.—Bernalillo, Valencia)   will introduce a new drug policy reform bill that is expected to reduce drug-related crime and save taxpayers money. The Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act will provide for supervised probation and appropriate community-based treatment instead of jail for first- and second-time nonviolent drug possession offenders.  “This legislation will improve the health of New Mexicans and save money,” said Antionette Tellez-Humble, director of the New Mexico Drug Policy Project.  “We should not treat people’s health issues with incarceration.”   

According to a recent poll conducted by Research & Polling, Inc., 67 percent of New Mexico voters believe that too many tax dollars are spent keeping nonviolent drug offenders in jail for a mandatory period of time when the money could be better spent on education and treatment.  A study by the RAND Corporation found that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.46 in societal costs (crime, violence, loss of productivity, etc.)  This same study found that additional law enforcement efforts cost 15 times as much as treatment to achieve the same reduction in societal costs.  In 1999, the New Mexico Corrections Department housed 5,127 inmates (not including city and county jails), of which eighty-seven percent were diagnosed with substance misuse disorders.

“I’ve fought this battle on the ground, and I know what works. Treatment works,” said Wayne Salazar, former police chief of Española<, who is currently the program director of Community Corrections. “You don’t solve a public health problem, and you certainly don’t save money, by incarcerating those who need help.” </p />

According to a study at the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, regular outpatient treatment costs an average of $1,800 per year; intensive outpatient treatment, $2,500 per year; opiate replacement treatment, $3,900 per year; short-term residential treatment, $4,400 per year; and long-term residential treatment, $6,800 per year. Incarceration costs an average of $25,900 per year. “This means that for each person who receives treatment instead of incarceration, New Mexico could save between $19,100 and $24,100 per year,” said Tellez-Humble. “Some of those savings will be at the local level, and some at the state level – either way, more of our taxpayers’ money is available for things like education and healthcare.”  

Of the approximately 5,600 people in New Mexico's state prison system in 2002, approximately 87 percent were assessed as needing substance abuse services, and 70 percent as substance abusing or dependent. Appropriate substance abuse treatment reduces drug use by 40-60 percent, and significantly reduces criminal activity during and after treatment.”

Although drug issues are not a priority for New Mexican Gov. Bill Richardson, he has asked the federal government to provide extra funding for treatment centers and programs, and has promised to consider signing medical marijuana legislation.

Arizona passed a similar law in 1996.  According to the Arizona Supreme Court, taxpayers saved $6.7 million in 1999, and 77.5% of drug possession probationers who had received treatment tested negative for drug use after the program.  California also passed a similar law – Proposition 36 – in 2000.  According to the California state Legislative Analyst’s office, state taxpayers are expected to save $250 million a year as a result of the new law.

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For more information about New Mexico’s 2003 drug policy reform bills, contact Shayna Samuels at 505-983-3277 or visit www.improvenewmexico.org.