evidence: In 2022, Ryan Gorman was sitting at a table with other experts who meet regularly to examine overdose deaths in Milwaukee County when he heard something that took him aback. [...] Fentanyl exploded after arriving in the state amid a broader opioid crisis facing the nation. The state Department of Health Services reported over 1,400 opioid-related deaths in 2022, the most recent year where data was available. [...] In October, La Crosse County confirmed its first xylazine-involved overdose death. In Milwaukee, the number of overdose deaths involving xylazine doubled from 2022 to 2023, reaching at least 126, with some toxicology cases still pending, according to data provided by the county medical examiner’s office.