BATON ROUGE, La. – High school students in the Capital Area want their peers to know about the dangers of using marijuana, vaping and heroin and misusing prescription drugs. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, in Louisiana, more than 2,000 people died from drug poisoning in 2023.
For the third year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (Louisiana Blue) sponsored a contest in partnership with the HOPE Initiative Program and Capital Region Crime Stoppers. Local high school students created original video messages about drug safety, prevention and awareness.
Seven teams from five high schools entered public service videos. The Central High School Digital Media team produced the video that came in first and won $1,500. The short video depicts a young man who seemingly has everything going for him until he tries drugs for the first time.
Zachary High school Junior ROTC and St. Amant High School Team Brooks won second and third places, respectively, and prizes of $1,000 and $500. Louisiana Blue and Crime Stoppers honored all entries and announced the winners at an awards reception on March 18.
“We are incredibly proud of the creativity and passion displayed by our high school students in this year’s Capital Region Crime Stoppers and Louisiana Blue’s HOPE Initiative PSA video competition,” said Jonny Dunnam, Capital Region Crime Stoppers Executive Director. “Central High’s outstanding first-place video, along with Zachary High ROTC’s compelling second-place entry and St. Amant High’s impactful third-place submission, showcase the power of youth voices in raising awareness about the dangers of illegal drugs and vaping. These students are not just participants, they are advocates for a healthier, drug-free future, and we applaud their efforts in making a difference in our community.”
Louisiana Blue will work with each team to create social media versions of their videos. The students and sponsoring organizations will all share the videos on their social media channels to help spread the word about the dangers of using illicit drugs.
You can see all of the 2025 winners in this video news release from Louisiana Blue.
“Overdose deaths in our area are among the highest in the country,” said Kandyce Cowart, Louisiana Blue Special Investigations manager. “Although overdose deaths have made a slight decline in the Baton Rouge area, reported overdose rates have not gone down. We are seeing people of all ages, backgrounds and income levels abusing vapes, marijuana, heroin, cocaine and misusing prescription opioids.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, please know there is help out there. Call 988 to be connected with services in your area. Learn more about the inherent and often hidden dangers of illicit fentanyl at www.lablue.com/toorisky.
About Louisiana Blue
Louisiana Blue is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying not-for-profit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We have been recognized for the past five years as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at LABlue.com or talk to us on social media @LABlue.
About the HOPE Initiative
The HOPE Initiative empowers our youth to advocate for a drug-free future by raising awareness about the dangers of drugs and vaping. As high school students creatively craft a safer community, we encourage you to support their voices and call Crime Stoppers with any information on felony crimes, remaining anonymous and eligible for a cash reward if your tip leads to an arrest.
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