In the most comprehensive international comparison of its kind, a USC study found that the United States has the highest drug overdose death rates among high-income countries. Drug overdose mortality has reached unprecedented levels in the U.S., more than tripling over the past two decades. But is this a uniquely American epidemic, or are other high-income counties facing a similar crisis? “The United States is experiencing a drug overdose epidemic of unprecedented magnitude, not only judging by its own history but also compared to the experiences of other high-income countries,” said study author Jessica Ho, assistant professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “For over a decade now, the United States has had the highest drug overdose mortality among its peer countries.” The study, published Feb. 21 in Population and Development Review, found that drug overdose death rates in the U.S. are 3.5 times higher on average when compared to 17 other high-income countries.