Recent public service announcements ... seem way off base to me

J

Jeni

Senior Member
recently I saw while visiting my daughter 2 public service ad campaigns that seemed way over the top. it was tied to the state she lives but perhaps is ads used nation wide?
The first one campaign is trying to evidently ask everyone to carry naloxone ( narcan) to save anyone who might OD in your presence ..... has 2 junkie looking guys mumbling about how safe they feel knowing their fellow junkie could bring them back if they overdo it....

the second Campaign was talking about pharmacies sending home a locking bag for pain meds or other medications so the Patient who may need these drugs can keep them locked up in case as said in the commercial "the grand kids get into gramps medications..."
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...ess-rising-overdose-rates-among-young-people/
https://lockyourmeds.org/

i find this completely insane as i would not want to even be around people who risk possibly OD every day and
i find it insulting a Patient who may have had surgery or something that requires pain management .......to be responsible to lock up medication instead of KIDS taught not to steal it......
Maybe if a sticky finger relative is around they should stay out of the house and lock the door.
 

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As it happens, I drove past a guy who was obviously in trouble from a bad drug or overdose, so I called 911 as I drove on. I've had nursing training, have a background in nursing, and I took the oath that says I will help in any emergency, but I do not advise stopping to assist in this type of emergency. An auto accident, sure, but you're putting yourself at risk helping someone like this.

The dispatcher seemed a little angry that I didn't stop. I couldn't answer questions like "Is he breathing?" and stuff.

Sorry, lady. He's all yours. That's on your guys, so don't dally.
 

It has been suggested that the average person carry Narcan in their car in the event that someone is overdosing. One woman online, a non drug user, said she had it. She didn’t know how to use it but someone else knew and used it for a stranger. Right now BC, population 5 million, in 2023 is averaging 200 OD deaths per month. I have no intention of carrying it, since I’m unlikely to be in circumstances where it is needed. If I had family or friends who I suspected might be users, I’d have it at home.

I’d welcome a Lock Bag if there were people of any age who might get in very strong meds. Better safe than sorry.
 

She gets her hair
from her mom.​


Her eyes from
her dad.​


And her drugs from​

her parents’ kitchen cabinet.​

44.9% of people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family or friends. Prevent your children, friends and relatives from misusing your own medication by securing your meds in places they cannot access.


while looking it up found this is a national ad campaign .......... but i think it misses the point of teaching kids and for those who do not steal meds perhaps the locking bag or box shows them just how much you have trust or faith in them .... NICE LESSON ( not)
 
Jules said:
It has been suggested that the average person carry Narcan in their car in the event that someone is overdosing. One woman online, a non drug user, said she had it. She didn’t know how to use it but someone else knew and used it for a stranger. Right now BC, population 5 million, in 2023 is averaging 200 OD deaths per month. I have no intention of carrying it, since I’m unlikely to be in circumstances where it is needed. If I had family or friends who I suspected might be users, I’d have it at home.

I’d welcome a Lock Bag if there were people of any age who might get in very strong meds. Better safe than sorry.
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Agree, 100%. Great point about knowing how to use it.

And a free locking medicine bag? Nice!
 
Remy said:
They must have a really high overdose and drug problem in that area? Worse than the national average? I shouldn't have but I did laugh at your "2 junkie looking guys mumbling..." Comment. Society has lost it's freaking mind. And no, I'm not going to carry narcan.
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I would guess that they must. :(
 
Jeni said:

She gets her hair​

from her mom.​


Her eyes from​

her dad.​


And her drugs from​

her parents’ kitchen cabinet.​

44.9% of people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family or friends. Prevent your children, friends and relatives from misusing your own medication by securing your meds in places they cannot access.


while looking it up found this is a national ad campaign .......... but i think it misses the point of teaching kids and for those who do not steal meds perhaps the locking bag or box shows them just how much you have trust or faith in them .... NICE LESSON ( not)
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Can't the family thief just take the whole bag?

I'll answer that one....Yes.
 
@Murrmurr You did the right thing by not stopping. Many would not even call. One never knows who is around or even how this individual may react. As far as the dispatcher goes, they need to take what they get and go from there. If you said you didn't stop, than you are right, the ball is theirs. They are on the job. And they will not arrive alone.
 
chic said:
I would guess that they must. :( (have a really high overdose and drug problem)
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Sacramento, the shining capital city of California does. Used to be only South Side, where I live, and city officials felt quite comfortable they could keep the problem of drugs and crime limited to that area, but it's a massive problem in every corner of the city now.

Here's a real knee-slapper; when these problems started reaching city official's favorite Sacramento areas a few years ago, they all moved to San Fransisco. 😂
 
Myrtle said:
There's one PSA I like. It's the one about not texting when driving. It's really one of those nagging nanny ads but the girl who does it makes it work.

This one. Sorry if it drives you crazy. I think she's cute. :ROFLMAO:

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that was cute but texting while driving is a classic we passed a law but never enforce it .... mode
many states have hands free only options but from looking at fellow drivers it does not sink in ....... in my area they rend to have targeted stings for speeders and blocking intersections as there was no room before the light changed to go .................. while it does not fix it permanently a couple dozen or so tickets curtail it for awhile ....... they should do same on people with phones in their hands...

if we spent half the money spent on cute ads or posters on enforcement we might see a change.
 
Remy said:
@Murrmurr You did the right thing by not stopping. Many would not even call. One never knows who is around or even how this individual may react. As far as the dispatcher goes, they need to take what they get and go from there. If you said you didn't stop, than you are right, the ball is theirs. They are on the job. And they will not arrive alone.
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That's exactly right. And he was drooped over and apparently unconscious right in front of the self-car-wash where lots of addicts and dealers hang out. I know that place well. It is a very dangerous place.

Also, when someone does stop to render aid in this kind of emergency, sometimes the ambulance doesn't rush to get there. If they know someone's rendering aid and the dispatcher is getting info, they'll take another bite of their lunch or watch the end of a play if they're watching football or whatever. I've seen this with my own eyes.
 
Sounds like thinly disguised advertising to me...

I already keep my prescription pain killers under lock and key already. Seems to me to be common sense in a house where grandkids and friends are often running about.

I would have no idea how to diagnose someone in need of something like Narcan or how to safely administer it. The world is probably a safer place if people like me don't have it.
 
Narcan or its generic costs between $50-$105 per dose. I don't know how long its shelf life is, but that's a little bit out of my budget to be carrying around for random encounters.

I was watching a series that followed a bunch of EMTs around New Orleans at night. One show, they were administering Narcan to someone and made the comment that this was the ____th time this month they had had to treat him.

How can you save someone who obviously doesn't want to be saved?
 
Alligatorob said:
Sounds like thinly disguised advertising to me...

I already keep my prescription pain killers under lock and key already. Seems to me to be common sense in a house where grandkids and friends are often running about.

I would have no idea how to diagnose someone in need of something like Narcan or how to safely administer it. The world is probably a safer place if people like me don't have it.
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Used improperly, Narcan can cause immediate, severe symptoms of withdrawal. Very dangerous for the patient.

I have Rx Narcan in my med cabinet because I take an opioid. The directions are on the box, and they're not very succinct. Could be a little confusing, actually. And nobody, not even my doctor, has ever demonstrated how to use it.
I'm sure there's a YouTube video, though.
 
jujube said:
How can you save someone who obviously doesn't want to be saved?
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They def wanna be saved....so they can get high again.

That said, there are rare occasions when a near-death OD was enough to convince the person to enter rehab. But, generally, when a person ODs, they aren't there for it, know what I mean? They're totally out of it and will not remember the experience at all.
 
The anti-smoking public service announcements aired often may not be off base, but they may be over the top, and can be unpleasant to watch, especially if you’re trying to eat at the time…

IMG_1695.jpeg
 
Most people are prudes. "Junkies" are despicable. So, if you tailor a PSA to say "Users, keep Narcan around". The righteous ones will get all hot and bothered because somehow the PSA will 'endorse' drug use. And if someone you love is addicted, you may indeed need Narcan at some point.
 
Jeni said:
the second Campaign was talking about pharmacies sending home a locking bag for pain meds or other medications so the Patient who may need these drugs can keep them locked up in case as said in the commercial "the grand kids get into gramps medications..."
https://lockyourmeds.org/

i find this completely insane as i would not want to even be around people who risk possibly OD every day and
i find it insulting a Patient who may have had surgery or something that requires pain management .......to be responsible to lock up medication instead of KIDS taught not to steal it......
Maybe if a sticky finger relative is around they should stay out of the house and lock the door.
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Sorry to say, @Jeni, but it is a not-uncommon thing for family to steal narcotics , even from a relative with cancer or other disease prone to terrible pain. As a hospice nurse, one of the first things we do on admit is make sure the narcotics are adequately secured in the home.
 
CinnamonSugar said:
Sorry to say, @Jeni, but it is a not-uncommon thing for family to steal narcotics , even from a relative with cancer or other disease prone to terrible pain. As a hospice nurse, one of the first things we do on admit is make sure the narcotics are adequately secured in the home.
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I am not saying it is not.... Had this type of creep in my family but i never let anyone know if anyone had any procedures or anything so they did not want to "visit"
wish i could find a link to this ad i saw ..because it was more like scolding and blaming the patient into hiding their medication and going through the motions because family is not to be trusted .....
i just feel it is a sad state when we no longer even expect people to do the right thing.....perhaps Prosecuting those on a regular basis might help too many family let it go
.......instead of making a person feel like while in pain and dealing with something they have to hide ,secure and defend their own medication.....in case of commercial the person reminding them to lock up actually asked if they really need it ....
which to me was saying "you can tough it out cause you know someone in family will seek this out. "

"The prescription allows the person named on the script, and only that person, to possess and consumer medication or drugs. And without a valid prescription, possession and consumption of those same drugs is illegal."

No one seems to prosecute this and seems to place all burden on the victim. Coddle the addict and thief seems to be the moral of the story.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Most people are prudes. "Junkies" are despicable. So, if you tailor a PSA to say "Users, keep Narcan around". The righteous ones will get all hot and bothered because somehow the PSA will 'endorse' drug use. And if someone you love is addicted, you may indeed need Narcan at some point.
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I agree if a person is either a user or a person with a user in their life fine...... the idea everyone should have this just in case is not needed.

honestly i have some people who have made a mess of their lives with drugs but am not around them at all and fully expect to hear this may be how they pass.
 

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