Serenity Mesa is a small, nonprofit addiction treatment center for teens that overlooks the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Co-founder David Burke says he is troubled by a recent decision by New Mexico's governor to send more arrested teens to juvenile detention, which he says won't help with underlying problems like substance use. (Megan Myscofski/KUNM)
New Mexico is a small state, but it's near the top when it comes to death rates from both gun violence and drug overdoses.
The firearms mortality rate has doubled since 2005, to 27.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 — making it #3 among states. In the same span of time, overdose deaths almost tripled, putting New Mexico at #6.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
