Editor's Note: This article has been updated to indicate that lackluster border security generally, and not increased illegal immigration specifically, is linked to higher rates of drug deaths.

More than four in ten Americans knew at least one person who passed away as a result of a drug overdose, according to a new study from the RAND Corporation.

Drug overdoses have caused more than 1.1 million deaths in the United States since the year 2000. The study from the nonprofit, which is based on a recent survey of American adults, found that over 42% of respondents personally knew “at least one person who died by overdose,” meaning that roughly 125 million Americans have “experienced overdose loss.”

“The experiences and needs of millions of survivors of an overdose loss largely have been overlooked in the clinical and public health response to the nation's overdose crisis,” RAND behavioral scientist and lead study author Alison Athey said in a statement. “Our findings emphasize the need for research into the prevalence and impact of overdose loss, particularly among groups and communities that experience disproportionate rates of loss.”

The average number of overdose deaths among those who reported “ever knowing someone who died by overdose” was nearly three, meaning that those impacted by the phenomenon were likely to know multiple people who passed away as a result of substance abuse.

Some 13% of the overall respondents said they “had their lives disrupted” by the overdose loss, while 4% said the loss “conferred a significant or devastating effect that they still feel.”

There were nearly 107,000 annual drug overdose deaths in the United States as of 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with opioids functioning as a driver of the phenomenon. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more than fifty times stronger than heroin, has increasingly been mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Elevated levels of overdose deaths correspond to lackluster border security. United States Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than 7.5 million individuals entering the country illegally since President Joe Biden assumed office.