A survey conducted by the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy in February shows that half of registered voters know someone who has overdosed on prescription or illegal drugs.

The findings in the report are based on a random sample of registered voters from the San Joaquin Valley.

Drug overdoses have increasingly been recognized as an epidemic in the San Joaquin Valley and across the nation.

“These new findings indicate how widespread the drug crisis has become and the extent to which it reaches all income levels,” said Dr. Jeff Cummins, co-director of the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy.

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