There is nothing subtle about the new billboards towering over Cincinnati’s highways. In big, blunt lettering, they command drivers to “Say the F Word.” The point is not to shock for shock’s sake, but to force people to say the word fentanyl, and to confront the surge in counterfeit pills that a local family says is quietly killing their neighbors.
The signs are the work of the Quehl family and their nonprofit, the Jack Quehl Foundation, which is using the attention-grabbing campaign to spark conversations they believe could save lives. The message, they say, is simple: name the real threat and stop pretending it is not in the room.
As reported by WLWT, Stephanie Quehl, president of the Jack Quehl Foundation, put it plainly: “My biggest fear is him being forgotten.” The outreach began after their son Jack, a Moeller High School graduate, died after taking what the family and police say was a pill laced with fentanyl. Police told WLWT that the weekend Jack died saw one of the highest numbers of overdose deaths tied to pills. The family has said the billboards will soon include more context and specific resources for people looking for help.
Who’s Behind The Signs
The billboards are an extension of the work done by the Jack Quehl Foundation, which operates as DoItForJack and uses Jack’s story in school and workplace presentations. According to DoItForJack, the group has reached about 19,000 students and parents through presentations and media outreach. The foundation also runs peer programs and scholarships, and it pushes for more fentanyl education and legislative change in Ohio…