A new report from the Vermont Department of Health shows deaths caused by drug overdoses are on the rise.

The report found there was a ten percent increase in overdose-related deaths in 2022 compared to 2021. 

The agency is concerned about the use of pharmaceuticals Xylazine and Gabapentin, which became increasingly popular over the course of the study. 

However, Fentanyl was responsible for the most deaths, as the drug was found in over 93 and 94 percent of overdose cases in 2022 and 2023.

When comparing numbers from 2010 to 2022 researchers found overdose deaths in the state have increased by more than five hundred percent.