Watch: Anti-heroin ad runs in St. Louis during Super Bowl XLIX

An anti-heroin ad ran in the St. Louis area during Super Bowl XLIX.

An anti-heroin ad ran in the St. Louis area during Super Bowl XLIX.

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The ad was created by the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse in St. Louis. It aimed to "raise awareness about the heroin and prescription painkiller epidemic in the St. Louis area."

The commercial took an unconventional approach, using a song with a light-hearted beat contrasted with lyrics telling of a person who became addicted to the drug and overdosed. NCADA said the contrast was "an intentional choice that reflects the stark contrasts of these real-life situations."

NCADA council director Howard Weissmantold the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that nearly 2,300 young people in the region have died from heroin use since 2007.

- Molly Geary