Santa Fe County experienced a 104% increase in drug overdose deaths during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to data released Thursday by the New Mexico Department of Health.
The county also saw a 131% surge in overdose-related emergency department visits, part of a troubling trend across three northeastern New Mexico counties that health officials are attributing largely to increasingly potent fentanyl.
The New Mexico Department of Health reported similar dramatic increases in Rio Arriba and Taos counties. Rio Arriba County saw overdose deaths rise 48% with emergency room visits up 81%, while Taos County recorded the steepest increase, with overdose deaths jumping 340% and emergency visits rising 206%.
Fentanyl use is linked to the majority of fatalities, according to the health department. The agency’s Adulterant Checking Program has detected significantly higher concentrations of fentanyl in street drugs, with some samples containing up to 20% fentanyl compared to the typical 1%.
“This increase in potency may result in more fatal and non-fatal overdoses,” the department stated in its release.
David Daniels, the health department’s harm reduction section manager, said officials have contacted partners in the affected counties to raise awareness and reinforce overdose prevention methods.
“Opioid use impacts people and communities across New Mexico,” Daniels said.
The health department offers medications for opioid use disorder at all public health offices at no cost to patients. The agency also provides free naloxone and maintains online resources for finding harm reduction sites and treatment programs.
Additional resources are available through the New Mexico HIV-Hepatitis-STD Online Resource Guide and the NMDOH Harm Reduction program. The department operates a helpline at 1-833-796-8773.
Current statewide overdose data is available on the health department’s website at www.nmhealth.org/data/view/substance/3129/.
