Film warns of fentanyl overdose danger

As the half-hour film streams across their living room monitor, Ed Ternan says as he holds the hand of his wife Mary, "Mary and I got into this world after losing our son Charlie in 2020."

As we watched their film about their 22-year-old son Charlie, it was still so painful. The Ternan family says Charlie thought he was buying Percocet for back pain on a social media site. But it turned out not to be a Percocet. 

"It was completely counterfeit," his dad said. "So he died at his fraternity house."

A small pill killed the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder who played local football in High School. And, now his parents are among the many moms and dads trying to educate others before it happens again. 

This time, though, the Ternan family got help from the state with a $5 million grant to open an educational portal called, the New Drug Talk.

"The purpose of the portal and the film is to equip parents and caregivers to start the dialogue about the new chemical drug landscape about the young people in their lives," Ed Ternan said.

The film also provides tips so parents can have these tough conversations with their kids. The film, broken into parts, includes "Signs of an Overdose" and ways you can trigger pain in the shoulder as a test to see if someone is overdosing. No reaction is an indicator.

Another segment shows how to use your smartphone flashlight to detect a problem. The narrator says lift the light and shine it into their pupils for 3 to 5 seconds. The narrator says the pupils of someone experiencing a fentanyl overdose will be pinpoint-small.

When Charlie died, his neighborhood friend wrote a song called "Song for Charlie." That became the name for Ed and Mary's nonprofit and the title of their movie.

Their message to parents and caregivers is simple: Talk to your kids before it's too late. 

Ed and Mary say they never had to chance to warn their son about fake pills online. Those looking to learn more about the New Drug Talk can click here for more information.