The tagline for the campaign: "Meth. We're On It."
[Ads /]
"What it's talking about is that each one of us, no matter who we are, that we're on the case of meth," Noem said in a Facebook Live video. "That we're protecting our family, we're protecting our friends, we're protecting our communities from this epidemic that we see."
The campaign's launch included a PSA from Noem on YouTube and a website. In the future, Noem said there will be commercials, billboards, Facebook ads and state agencies working with nonprofits to bring relief to people who are dealing with addiction and the meth epidemic.
"This campaign is going to be about solutions and hope and how every single one of us in South Dakota can partner to be on meth," Noem said.
The governor said 13 people in the state died from meth overdoses last year and that there were 3,000 arrests tied to meth and its use. There were 73 overdose deaths overall in South Dakota in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug deaths were not in the state's top 10 leading causes of death that year.
Noem said she believes South Dakota can lead the nation and be an example of treating addiction.
"While most of the country talks about opioids, that is an issue for us, but by far our largest issue is methamphetamine," Noem said. "This is a strong campaign."
[Ads /]
But it's getting some flack, especially on social media, with some confused and others all-out mocking the campaign.
But Governor Noem said she wanted this to be a bold campaign to get people talking about being part of the solution, not just the problem.
With the ad going viral on its first day, she said it's working.
The-CNN-Wire
& 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.