RIO ARRIBA DRUG DEATHS UP IN SPITE OF EFFORTS

Deaths from drug overdoses rose nearly 17 percent in Rio Arriba County last
year despite a new treatment center and a government crackdown on drug dealers.

Rio Arriba has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in New Mexico - and
one of the highest rates per capita in the United States. Twenty-one deaths
in the county in 1999 were directly attributed to drugs, according to the
Office of the Medical Investigator.

But officials say the numbers don't yet reflect efforts to curtail drug use
in the county. Amistad de Nuevo Mexico, a drug-treatment center funded by
the state, opened only in November. And 31 arrests of suspected drug
dealers happened only in September.

The 21 deaths attributed to overdoses last year are a 16.6 percent rise
from the 18 in 1998. But the 1999 toll is 40 percent more than 15 drug
overdoses recorded each year in 1995 through 1997.

"I believe we can put a dent in it," said Mike Giddings, program director
for Amistad. "But it's going to take more than just us."

Amistad, run by Amity, Inc., out of Tucson, opened after winning a
controversial contract with the state to run the drug-treatment program.

"We're good at what we do, and I know we can help the people who come see
us," he said.

Although state officials say they are pleased with Amistad's work -
Giddings says 30 people are coming to daily treatments and 150 have open
files - the center has also encountered some immediate trouble.

The state simply doesn't have enough in-patient rehab treatment centers,
Giddings said. So when addicts walk in and want help, there are often
waiting lists, and people have nowhere to go.

"If you can't provide those services right away, when they ask, bad things
happen," Giddings said.

Giddings said he hopes the state could eventually have more long-term
facilities - "and by long term, I mean six months minimum."

"To have lasting change, you need more time," he said. "We can do it. We
just need the money. It takes money."

But Lauren Reichelt, director of the Rio Arriba County Health and Human
Services department, said it also takes smart policies - and she questions
whether the state is directing its money to the right place.

Reichelt appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday as a counterpoint to Gov. Gary
Johnson, who was on the national news show promoting his message of drug
legalization.

"I think a large part of the reason (deaths increased) is that there's
still a lack of coordination," she said.

The arrests of dealers might have taken drugs off the street in some cases,
but "the kind of treatment people need is not available."

"I don't think those (death) numbers are going down unless the government
changes its strategy," she said.

Reichelt said she is looking at data that indicates many drug deaths are
not caused by heroin - the drug most widely blamed by government and media
- - but prescription drugs and cocaine.

"Nothing has happened to indicate the situation is going to get better,"
she said. "We haven't dealt with the cause of the epidemic. It's not a
problem with a drug, but with addiction."

She blames poverty - "it's cultural oppression and economic disparity."