The UHC is closely tracking the steady rise in drug overdose deaths in big US cities. Cheap and easily produced synthetic drugs, including fentanyl and xylazine, have driven recent increases, signaling an urgent need to address this crisis as it bleeds into neighboring countries. New research shows the toll of this crisis in border cities in Mexico, as well as a promising solution in Canada, where an intervention reduced citywide overdose death mortality rates by nearly half.
