DAILY LOBO new mexico
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January 30, 2012
Sen.: aim to stop drug overdose
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Rate of overdose deaths in New Mexico is highest in the nation by Luke Holmen holmen@unm.edu
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found New Mexico has the highest overall drug overdose death rate of any state, but two bills introduced at the start of the 2012 legislative session aim to curb those rates. SB90 contains language that would allocate $200,000 to the Department of Health to fund a statewide overdose prevention and awareness campaign of legal and illegal drugs. SJM21 requests the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy to perform a study to expand New Mexico’s drug overdose prevention programs. Sen. Richard Martinez (D, Rio Arriba, Los Alamos and Santa Fe), who helped sponsor SB90 and SJM21, said the legislation will reduce the number of accidental drug overdose deaths in New Mexico. “I’m asking the Legislature and the Governor to act with compassion and common sense. These deaths are preventable,” Martinez said. “Overdose spares no one and affects everyone, especially families.” New Mexico suffered 27 overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2010, more than twice the national
Adria Malcolm / Daily Lobo Sophomore guard Kendall Williams celebrated the win 71-54 over TCU Saturday afternoon in The Pit. Because of San Diego State’s lost to Colorado State, the Lobos are one win away from the top of the conference. See page 8 for story.
average according to the CDC. Additionally, the overdose death rate in the state has increased 242 percent since 1991. According to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, 204 individuals died from drugcaused injury in 2010, in the most
recent report available. SB90 has passed the Senate Finance Committee and is awaiting a committeereportfromtheCommittees’ Committee and the Public Affairs Committee. SJM21 is currently in the senate Rules Committee awaiting a committee report.
Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort (R, Bernallilo, Sandoval, Torrance and Santa Fe) said the Senate is reluctant to fund new programs, but will evaluate each program’s merits separately. “What we’ve said at this point is that we would not be putting mon-
ey into any new programs,” Beffort said. “That being said, a lot of that has to do with what the appropriation requests will be, and I look forward to hearing this legislation.”
Parking rep: bike program would cost $60k yearly by Tamon Rasberry trasberr@unm.edu
Finding funds is the next step in getting ASUNM’s bike-share program rolling according to ASUNM president Jaymie Roybal. “We have had some informal conversations with sponsors who are interested in the program, but we are waiting until we know the exact price and other specifics before we start getting actual pledges,” she said. Roybal said ASUNM intends to fund the program through private sponsorship. ASUNM members, including Roybal, proposed the program, which would allow students to rent bikes for use throughout campus and nearby Nob Hill. The bike-share program
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is being developed in part by Parking and Transportation Services. According to PATS, a first year cost of $353,000 would pay for nine stations and a total of 46 bicycles. From there, the program would require recurring funding of $60,000 a year to continue operation. In a presentation before the Student Fee Review Board, Danielle Gilliam, program specialist, said PATS is requesting a onetime donation of $50,000 in student fees as down payment to jump-start the program. Gilliam said if this amount is granted, students will not have to pay out of pocket for the following year. Rather than being supported by student fees on a yearly basis, If fundraising and other efforts fail to raise the amount needed, PATS
has suggested that students could pay for the rental of the bikes on campus. A $6 per day pass with 10,000 users a year would be sufficient to completely fund the program, according to the PATS SFRB presentation. “If we can get the $50,000 … one time, I would like to not have to come back and request more student fees to fund the program. I think we can keep (the program sustainable) with donations, fundraising … and advertising.” Roybal said she hopes to fundraise most of the $60,000 cost through donations and advertising to keep costs to students low. Gilliam said the expansion of housing and the possible influx of 2,000 students requires alternative methods of transportation. Gilliam said the bike-share
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program will lessen dependence on automobiles, reduce traffic and congestion on campus and provide speedy access to parts of campus and other amenities in the campus area currently offlimits to motor vehicles. ASUNM Sen. Sunny Liu said the UNM bike-share program could be the first step in a citywide bike-share program. In the Parking and Transportation Services SFRB presentation, Gilliam said if UNM takes the first step in providing bike-share kiosks in the UNM area, the city may follow with additional funding for kiosk expansion. “This program could initiate the city to want to revamp the city’s transportation structure and open the limitations for better biking routes and policies,” Liu said.
More than 90 colleges currently offer some sort of bike-sharing program on their campus. GPSA President and SFRB Chair Katie Richardson said she isn’t sure if the program should be funded by student fees. “While I am excited about sustainability efforts at UNM, I am not sure if students will use the program enough to justify its expense,” Richardson said. “Student support could give a reason to use fee dollars as seed money for the program even before the rest of the capital is raised by businesses, but I haven’t heard a ground swell from students yet. I’d like to see a study showing student need and support.” –Luke Holmen contributed to this report
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