Attorney General’s office describes statewide ‘1 Pill Can Kill’ outreach, Virginia Rules and coaches programs

The Office of the Attorney General described multiple statewide prevention and awareness initiatives funded with Opioid Abatement Authority support during an Oct. 5 webinar, including the 1 Pill Can Kill public-education campaign, the Virginia Rules school curriculum portal, Coaches vs. Overdoses outreach and a virtual-reality Addicted to Life program.

Mark Faro, director of crime reduction initiatives in the Office of the Attorney General, said the office launched the 1 Pill Can Kill campaign with the First Lady and other partners after Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the initiative at a 2022 school safety conference. Faro said the campaign used a mix of traditional media (billboards, television and radio) and social and geofenced digital advertising targeted to high schools and colleges; he reported “tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of impressions” and roughly 36 million people reached through the digital campaign and about 80,000 clicks to partner resources.

Why it matters: Faro said the campaigns were designed to reach youth and student-athletes where they gather — gyms, campus geofenced zones and online feeds — and to funnel users to resources such as Virginia Rules, the 1 Pill Can Kill site and partner resources for prevention and treatment.

Details and related programs: Faro described Virginia Rules (a school-based crime-prevention and curriculum portal updated for Virginia law), which the office funds and maintains for instructors; he said the site has about 240,000 active users and 1,400 current instructors registered. Faro described a Coaches vs. Overdoses program that brings athlete-facing events and a “playbook” to schools and a national pro-athlete ambassador component. He also described Addicted to Life, a virtual-reality or 3-D-based program adapted for middle and high schools that uses headsets and handheld devices to increase engagement in prevention lessons.

Naloxone and treatment links: Faro said the office partners with local groups such as Revive for naloxone (Narcan) training and that many of the digital ads link directly to partner pages and treatment resources so viewers can find local help.

Scope and availability: Faro said the Attorney General’s office has funded 26 Virginia Rules camps this year and that materials such as brochures, billboards and the Coaches vs. Overdoses playbooks are available to schools at no cost on request. He directed attendees to an email address (cspire@oag.state.va.us) to request Coaches vs. Overdoses events and to the office’s web resources for program links.

Ending: Faro framed the suite of programs as complementary to education and local prevention efforts; he invited school divisions and local organizations to request program visits, playbooks, VR demonstrations or naloxone training through the attorney general’s outreach channels.