▶Videoyoutube.comFake Pills Can Cause Real Harm
“Fake pills can cause real harm”
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services counterfeit-pill and fentanyl campaign (US-IA) launched January 2023 with Deric and Kathy Kidd, whose 17-year-old son Sebastian died from a counterfeit pill in 2021: TV spots and Facebook/Instagram ads for adults 25+, YouTube and mobile banners for teens and young adults, and a parent conversation guide on YourLifeIowa.org. A new spot with Kenneth Merrieweather ran in 2026.
- Years
- 2023–now
- Country
- United States
- Budget
- Not stated for 2023. May 2024: Gov. Reynolds directed "$500,000 to an Opioid Use Prevention Campaign conducted by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services" from American Rescue Plan funds (not confirmed as this campaign).
- Topic
- Opioids
- Asks people to
- Never startTalk to someone
- Strategy
- Fear appealTestimonial
- Channel
- Social (paid)TVWebsite
- Audience
- ParentsYoung adultsYouth
Evidence
NoneUnknown
Sponsor (who paid)
- Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Your Life Iowa State local government, funder
Credits (who made it)
Not recorded yet.
Executions (individual ads)
- Fake pills can cause real harm 2023 · tv · youtube
- Fake Pills Can Cause Real Harm - Kenneth Merrieweather 2026 · social-paid · youtube
- Parent conversation guide on counterfeit pills (PDF) 2023 · website · sponsor-site
Related campaigns
- One Pill Can Kill 2021–now
- Before it Becomes More 2026–now
Sources
Research notes
US-IA. Discovered 2026-10-22 for #17. Campaign name taken from the HHS YouTube spot titles; the 2023 release does not name it. An Iowa HHS 'Fake Drugs' campaign for ages 12-25 (banner ads, posters, social, English and Spanish) appears in a search snippet of an HHS document and may be the same effort; not read. Funding: no settlement funding found (Gov. Reynolds said in May 2024 that settlement money sat unused for lack of legislation and used ARPA funds instead). Agency not named. Ad library search: "Your Life Iowa", "Iowa Department of Health and Human Services", "fake pills". Reuse terms checked 2026-10-23 by an AI research pass for #47; not yet reviewed by a person.
Record cases/ia-fake-pills-real-harm.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign