Tag Archives: Foundation for a Drug-Free World

Drug-Free World at the Paris Olympics and a Million Reasons to Not Do Drugs

PARIS, France /ScoopCloud/ -- With the eyes of the world on Paris, and some 6 million gathered in the city and other host venues for the 2024 Olympics, Foundation for a Drug-Free World organized a massive distribution of drug education booklets. Hundreds of volunteers from Non à la Drogue, Oui à la Vie (No to Drugs, Yes to Life Association) were delighted to find broad-based support from individuals and groups eager to contribute to the cause.

"Drugs are at the root of immeasurable human suffering," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message on the International Day Against Drug Abuse this year. "Evidence-based drug prevention programmes can protect people and communities alike, while taking a bite out of illicit economies that profit from human misery."

"This is what has driven the Foundation's work since its inception," says Foundation for a Drug-Free World Executive Director Jessica Hochman, "providing fact-based education to empower youth and adults to make the informed decision to live drug-free."

"Reaching out with a million Truth About Drugs booklets was a huge challenge," said one Non à la Drogue volunteer. "But we were welcomed by fans at Olympic venues and people we met on the streets. Shopkeepers saw the importance of sharing these booklets with their customers and were eager to take part in our outreach. We took on the challenge and hitting that target was amazing."

"I heard so many poignant stories from people of all ages and backgrounds. Nearly everyone we spoke to suffered personally or experienced the devastating effects of drug abuse on a loved one or friend," said another volunteer. "It was empowering to see how many people took our booklets seriously and wanted to contribute to our campaign."

Noting the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World was formed in 2006 to serve as a primary distributor of educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends. The Foundation has grown to a network of some 200 chapters around the world. Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, it provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge to anyone wishing to take action to address this urgent issue.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. Through a worldwide network of volunteers, millions of drug prevention booklets have been distributed, and tens of thousands of drug awareness events have been held in some 180 countries. These materials and activities have helped people around the world learn about the destructive side effects of drugs and thereby make the decision for themselves not to use them. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

For more information or to take the Foundation's free online drug education course, visit drugfreeworld.org/course/.

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https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

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https://youtu.be/rvgb28J8OeY?si=6_jdgPkm_TLIp7Oo

With the eyes of the world on Paris, and some 6 million gathered in the city and other host venues for the 2024 Olympics, Foundation for a Drug-Free World organized a massive distribution of drug education booklets. Hundreds of volunteers from Non à la Drogue, Oui à la Vie (No to Drugs, Yes to Life Association) were delighted to find broad-based support from individuals and groups eager to contribute to the cause.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Empowering Youth and Adults with the Truth About Drugs

CITY OF MARKHAM, Ontario /ScoopCloud/ -- Each summer, thousands of visitors pour into the City of Markham, Ontario, for the Taste of Asia Festival. The vibrant event features performances, art, crafts and food representing dozens of nations from China to Japan and India to Indonesia-each unique and special. And every year since 2004, the Toronto chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World has reached out at the festival with its drug education and prevention campaign. Drug-Free World volunteers distribute the Foundation's acclaimed Truth About Drugs booklets, encouraging young and old to sign a pledge to live drug-free and to help families and friends make the same commitment.

As always, this year's festival was a dynamic tapestry of the best of Asian food and culture. But it played out against the stark reality of a serious threat to the lives and happiness of festival-goers from across the province. Ontario is in the midst of a drug overdose crisis. According to Drug-Free World volunteers, prevention has never been more important. City of Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti agreed. He presented a proclamation to Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers, marking the city's adoption of the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse, whose motto for 2024 is The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention.

"Drug abuse is very serious," said Melanie Dickson-Smith, who heads the Toronto chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World which is supported by the Church of Scientology Toronto. "Now more than ever, youth need to be informed of the short- and long-term effects of drugs. We are very gratified to have the support of Mayor Scarpitti and Markham City Council in raising awareness of this issue."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Thanks to the support of Churches of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation makes its acclaimed secular drug education and prevention materials and programs available free of charge.

For decades, Scientologists have engaged in drug education and prevention in their communities, inspired by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.scientology-toronto.org/how-we-help/truth-about-drugs.html

VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/SFaNBezJPc8?si=74Sg7gSPWiLtqRiu

Each summer, thousands of visitors pour into the City of Markham, Ontario, for the Taste of Asia Festival. The vibrant event features performances, art, crafts and food representing dozens of nations from China to Japan and India to Indonesia-each unique and special. And every year since 2004, the Toronto chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World has reached out at the festival with its drug education and prevention campaign.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

The UN Acknowledges Foundation for a Drug-Free World With Consultative Status

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has granted the Foundation for a Drug-Free World consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

This new status enables the Foundation to share decades of experience and expertise with those most dedicated to implementing effective drug prevention. Drug-Free World can now organize conferences and participate in events at the UN in Geneva, Vienna and New York.

"On behalf of all Drug-Free World chapters and millions of drug-prevention volunteers in countries around the world, we would like to express our appreciation for this recognition," said Foundation for a Drug-Free World Executive Director Jessica Hochman. "We pledge to not only continue our commitment but to redouble our efforts to bring about a drug-free world."

Each June, the UN issues its annual World Drug Report along with a theme for the year's activities. This year's message aligns exactly with the purpose and activities of the Foundation and its acclaimed drug education materials: "The evidence is clear: invest in prevention."

"We congratulate the Foundation for a Drug-Free World International and its volunteers, partners and supporters," said Olivia McDuff of the Church of Scientology International Public Affairs Office.

Thanks to the support of Churches of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation makes these acclaimed secular materials and programs available free of charge.

For decades, Scientologists have engaged in drug education and prevention in their communities, inspired by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has granted the Foundation for a Drug-Free World consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Drug-Free World can now organize conferences and participate in events at the UN in Geneva, Vienna and New York.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Promoting the Value of Drug-Free Living at the UEFA Championship Games

BERLIN, Germany /ScoopCloud/ -- For an entire month, from June 14 to July 14, Drug-Free World volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions throughout Germany and their partners reached out to fans at the UEFA European Championship games. They promoted the importance of drug-free living and shared their drug education and prevention campaign. They reached out and encouraged everyone they met to choose the drug-free, active lifestyle that is the basis of athletic success-one particularly important in the face of alarming drug trends.

While Europe has been spared the spiraling overdose deaths opioids have caused in America and Canada, the most recent European Union Drug Agency report warns of increased availability and use of cocaine, opioids, synthetics and psychoactive substances on the continent, along with a rise in homelessness, drug-related corruption and violent crime, and the importance of countering it with evidence-based drug prevention.

The drug-prevention initiative sponsored by the Scientology Churches and Scientologists of Germany is called the Sag Nein zu Droge (Say No to Drugs) campaign of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Over the course of a month, at stadiums throughout the country, volunteers handed out hundreds of thousands of the Foundation's Truth About Drugs booklets.

Volunteers set up stands and mobile exhibits and held impromptu concerts. They walked people through the booklets and encouraged them to sign their drug-free pledge. They shared the unvarnished truth about the most commonly used drugs one-on-one with everyone they met. And they were gratified with the response they received.

Shopkeepers were eager to take stacks of the booklets for their customers. Many commented that with increased drug use in their neighborhood, there has also been more crime. They were happy to do something effective to counter what they see as an alarming trend.

A woman asked for several copies of the booklet. She knew some of her daughter's friends had begun experimenting with drugs and the booklet gave her the confidence she needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter.

A high school student said he was concerned about major mood shifts he's seen in some of his friends who are taking drugs. Reading the booklet, he realized drugs were probably behind this change and he wanted copies to give to his classmates.

And so it went in city after city, day after day, with local residents, people from out of town, from other European countries, and enthusiasts from abroad who timed their vacations to spend the month in Germany for the games.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Thanks to the support of Churches of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation makes its acclaimed secular drug education and prevention materials and programs available free of charge.

For decades, Scientologists have engaged in drug education and prevention in their communities, inspired by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.sag-nein-zu-drogen.de/

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

IMAGE link for media:

https://bit.ly/4d8hWlD

Photo caption: Volunteers distributed Truth About Drugs booklets at the UEFA Championship Games throughout Germany.

TAGS: #UEFAChampionshipGames #DrugFreeWorld #TruthAboutDrugs #ChurchOfScientology #Germany

For an entire month, from June 14 to July 14, Drug-Free World volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions throughout Germany and their partners reached out to fans at the UEFA European Championship games. They promoted the importance of drug-free living and shared their drug education and prevention campaign.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Foundation for a Drug-Free World Drug Prevention Nonprofit Earns Consultative Status to the UN

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Drug-Free World has achieved a significant milestone. "We are thrilled to announce that the Foundation for a Drug-Free World has been granted Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council," posted the Foundation's executive director Jessica Hochman on X (formerly Twitter) on July 4. "Consultative Status allows the Foundation to formally contribute to the work of the United Nations by participating in conferences, providing expert advice on drug prevention strategies, and collaborating with other NGOs on shared goals. This amplified platform strengthens our ability to advocate for a drug-free world on a global scale."

The evidence is clear: invest in prevention

This new status provides the Foundation with an even greater ability to carry out its mission, in keeping with the UN's International Day Against Drug Abuse motto for this year--"The evidence is clear: invest in prevention."

"This is what has driven the Foundation's work since its inception," says Hochman. "Providing fact-based education to empower youth and adults to make the informed decision to live drug-free."

To take effective action, visit the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website, take the free online drug-education course or join or open a chapter of the Foundation.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

VIDEO:

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/the-truth-about-drugs.html

IMAGE link for media: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GRqqeqNbYAAeVJD?format=jpg&name=900x900

Photo caption: Foundation for a Drug-Free World is awarded Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a significant milestone in its global mission to empower youth with factual drug education and prevent drug abuse.

TAGS: #DrugFreeWorld #ECOSOC #UN #DrugPrevention #Education #Empowerment

Drug-Free World has achieved a significant milestone. "We are thrilled to announce that the Foundation for a Drug-Free World has been granted Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council," posted the Foundation's executive director Jessica Hochman on X (formerly Twitter) on July 4.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Drug-Free Czech ‘Cyclo-Run’ Celebrates 20 Years of Racing Throughout the Country to Reach Youth With the Truth About Drugs

PRAGUE, Czech Republic /ScoopCloud/ -- "Drug manufacturers, drug pushers and drug distributors are becoming more sophisticated," says Lukáš Bechyně, executive director of the Say No to Drugs-Say Yes to Life Association, an affiliate of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. He and his team of drug prevention activists have just finished their 12-day Drug-Free Czech Cyclo-Run, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The team cycles and runs throughout the Czech Republic with the Foundation's Truth About Drugs campaign to reach youngsters before they begin to experiment with toxic substances.

This year, the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse theme is "The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention," a motto the Drug-Free Czech Cyclo-Run volunteers are deeply committed to. They invest their time, energy and passion into reaching youth with the Truth About Drugs fact-based drug education initiative. In each town, they introduce mayors, educators and community leaders to the campaign. They then deliver drug education to the local youth, who run with the cyclists as they take off for the next stop in their nationwide campaign.

Bechyně says the need for drug education and prevention has never been more urgent. "There are more and more drugs on the market, and they have become accessible to younger and younger children," he says. "We used to give lectures to sixth and seventh graders, but today we begin two years earlier. We are finding some start using drugs as early as age ten." He and Vlastimil Špalek, Cyclo-Run founder and chairman of Drug-Free World Czech Republic, are committed to reaching all the youth in the country with the campaign.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs."

The Drug-Free Czech Cyclo-Run volunteers are optimistic. They know the Truth About Drugs initiative works. Each year, people they have introduced the campaign to on earlier Cyclo-Runs share their success in using their drug education curriculum. As an ever-increasing number of towns adopt the program, they know they are on track to achieving their goal: a Drug-Free Czech Republic.

Noting the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World was formed in 2006 to serve as a primary distributor of educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends. The Foundation has grown to a network of some 200 chapters around the world. Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, it provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge to drug educators worldwide.

The Cyclo-Run for a Drug-Free Czech Republic is featured in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network. Voices for Humanity is an original series of short documentaries introducing changemakers from all faiths, cultures and nations as they extend help to their communities through Scientology-sponsored humanitarian programs.

The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

https://rekninedrogam.cz/

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/vlastimil-spalek.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

"Drug manufacturers, drug pushers and drug distributors are becoming more sophisticated," says Lukáš Bechyně, executive director of the Say No to Drugs-Say Yes to Life Association, an affiliate of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. He and his team of drug prevention activists have just finished their 12-day Drug-Free Czech Cyclo-Run, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Start Your Engines and Join the Race: Help Create a Drug-Free World

BERGAMO, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Bikers throughout Northern Italy are getting their bikes ready for the race for a Drug-Free Italy. Held to promote the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse, the 7th annual national Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale (motorbike tour) races in support of the UN's theme for 2024: "The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention." The race is organized by Dico No Alla Droga (Say No to Drugs) Italy-the national chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

This year's UN campaign emphasizes the need "to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of drug use, including physical and psychological harm, overdose deaths, and societal problems," and "the need for evidence-based policies based on science, human rights, compassion, and knowledge." It is for exactly this reason that the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative exists.

"People are not well informed about what drugs are and what they do," says the campaign's national executive director for Italy, Oreste Depaoli. "There are active campaigns in our society that make it look like drugs do no harm," he says. But if people understand what drugs are and what they really lead to, they can make their own decisions on this vital subject and opt to live drug-free.

The world's largest nongovernmental drug education program, active in 196 nations, the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative has been filling the need for evidence-based drug education for more than 25 years. Experience has proven that scare tactics don't work, but factual, specific, and well-documented information does, which is exactly what the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative provides.

The Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale is one of many drug prevention events taking place this month throughout Italy. The work of Oreste Depaoli and Dico No Alla Droga Italy to save youth throughout the country from the devastating effects of drugs is featured in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network.

Scientology Churches and Scientologists support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, whose materials are provided free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector. The Truth About Drugs program is inspired by author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who found that "the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

To learn more, take the free drug education course on the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website, watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network, and episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Drug-Free World website, or contact the nearest Church of Scientology.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.facebook.com/ASDDICONOALLADROGA

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

Bikers throughout Northern Italy are getting their bikes ready for the race for a Drug-Free Italy. Held to promote the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse, the 7th annual national Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale (motorbike tour) is organized by Dico No Alla Droga (Say No to Drugs) Italy-the national chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Athlete Uses His Own Life as an Example to Help Kids Decide to Live Drug-Free

PRAGUE, Czech Republic /ScoopCloud/ -- Lukáš Bechyně is no stranger to challenging situations. At 19, he qualified to compete as a pole vaulter in the International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships. But after an injury sidelined him, he began to experiment with drugs, and that nearly defeated him. Now, as executive director of the Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life Association of the Czech Republic, an affiliate of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, he is engaged in another kind of competition - reaching Czech youth with the truth about drugs before they begin to experiment with harmful substances.

He began with an occasional drink, but soon segued into marijuana. By the time his injury healed, weekend partying had become what he looked forward to most in life. At his first techno party, a friend offered him ecstasy. Then another suggested he try crystal meth.

"It was a trap," he says.

Drugs assumed greater and greater importance in his life. He didn't like school, argued often with his parents and girlfriend, started experiencing mood swings and developed health problems, including liver pain.

"I decided to quit using drugs after a party where I combined several types of drugs," he says. "I couldn't control my body. I couldn't see anything. I was feeling terribly sick and was literally dying. I felt like it was really over and I wanted to die."

The next day, Bechyně stopped cold turkey. Thanks to his years in competitive sports, he was able to withdraw from drugs by simply forcing himself to endure the physical discomfort, fatigue and pain to achieve the goal.

"My girlfriend and I both decided to stop using drugs and going to parties. It wasn't easy," he says. "Most of our friends were into parties and drugs at that time. I struggled for about a year. My friends would offer me drugs for free. But I'd made up my mind."

Some time later, he was introduced to the Say No to Drugs - Say Yes to Life Association of the Czech Republic by an athlete who was cycling and running through the country to reach kids with the truth about drugs. This sports initiative was called the Cyclo-Run for a Drug-Free Czech Republic.

"I decided to support it," he says. "I remember the first Truth About Drugs lecture I attended on the Cyclo-Run, watching the public service announcements through my own tears and learning many important things about drugs that I'd never known."

At the lecture, Bechyně realized so much about himself: Why he took drugs, what they did to him, how drugs really work.

"Many things in my past drug life suddenly made sense to me," he says. "I decided to be a lecturer because I wanted to help children decide not to take drugs, and I could use my own bad experiences for something good."

He attended a Say No to Drugs training seminar for police, social workers, and lecturers and delivered his first anti-drug lecture at the elementary school in the town where he grew up.

"Since I started helping and delivering drug education, my life has turned 180 degrees in the right direction," he says. "I have personally trained more than 25,000 children."

In 2012 Bechyně agreed to be executive director of Say No to Drugs-Say Yes to Life Czech Republic.

"I've done many TV and radio shows, I have the Drug-Free World logo on my athletic uniforms when I perform pole vault exhibitions in town squares. I deliver lectures, organize events, and I lead our Cyclo-Run team along with my colleague Vlastimil Špalek, my wife and other key players. My purpose is very simple: to help children with drug education to allow them to make the informed decision not to take drugs. My goal is to have drug-free kids in a drug-free society."

Say No to Drugs Czech Republic is a chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and uses its Truth About Drug materials to help young people achieve their goals and their full potential by helping them make the firm decision to live drug-free.

Noting the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World was formed in 2006 to serve as a primary distributor of educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends. The Foundation has grown to a network of some 200 chapters around the world. Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, it provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge to drug educators worldwide.

The Cyclo-Run for a Drug-Free Czech Republic is featured in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network. Voices for Humanity is an original series of short documentaries introducing changemakers from all faiths, cultures and nations as they extend help to their communities through Scientology-sponsored humanitarian programs.

The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/vlastimil-spalek.html

Lukáš Bechyně is no stranger to challenging situations. At 19, he qualified to compete as a pole vaulter in the International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships. But after an injury sidelined him, he began to experiment with drugs, and that nearly defeated him. Now, as executive director of the Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life Association of the Czech Republic, an affiliate of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, he is engaged in another kind of competition - reaching Czech youth with the truth about drugs before they begin to experiment with harmful substances.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Foundation for a Drug-Free World Reaches Out at the 79th Annual National PAL Training Conference to Empower Youth With Effective Drug Education

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drug overdoses are killing young Americans in unprecedented numbers. To help turn the tide on this epidemic, Foundation for a Drug-Free World reached out to those attending the annual National Police Athletic and Activities League (PAL) Training Conference at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside Hotel May 7 - May 10. Drug-Free World volunteers and staff introduced those attending the conference to their acclaimed Truth About Drugs drug education and prevention initiative, which they provide free of charge to anyone wishing to help kids on this urgent subject.

National PAL's mission and activities are based on the conviction that young people, reached early enough, are more likely to become productive adults and agents of positive change.

The Truth About Drugs youth-friendly booklets and videos help accomplish this purpose. They get through to young people, keeping them interested and engaged. The Truth About Drugs documentary drives home the message, as former addicts share harrowing stories of how they were trapped in the dwindling spiral of addiction.

"Truth About Drugs materials can also contribute to PAL's mission to provide youth with leadership opportunities to help others," said Foundation for a Drug-Free World Executive Director Jessica Hochman. "Our program not only helps young people make the firm decision not to experiment with drugs, it also helps them take responsibility for their peers, their siblings - even their parents - and gives them the confidence that they can set an example for others. With your commitment to helping youth and our drug-prevention campaign and free online courses, we can truly save lives."

The Truth About Drugs program is the largest and most comprehensive nongovernmental drug education and prevention program of its kind. It is spearheaded and coordinated by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a secular nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. The program is used by teachers, school counselors, drug education specialists and law enforcement officers around the world. Its drug-free message reaches millions of people each year.

Inspired by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who found drugs to be "the single most destructive element present in our current culture," Scientology Churches and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World, making it possible to provide its materials free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector.

Visit VoicesforHumanity.tv to watch short documentaries introducing change makers of all faiths, cultures and nations who use this and other Scientology-supported humanitarian programs to better their communities and society.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drug overdoses are killing young Americans in unprecedented numbers. To help turn the tide on this epidemic, Foundation for a Drug-Free World reached out to those attending the annual National Police Athletic and Activities League (PAL) Training Conference at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside Hotel May 7 - May 10.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Former Addict Dedicates Himself to Paying Help Forward With Foundation for a Drug-Free World

VALENCIA, Spain /ScoopCloud/ -- No stranger to drug abuse and its toll, Alfredo Riaño, who heads the chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World in Valencia, Spain, shares his own story to help kids avoid the ordeal of addiction that he eventually escaped from. And he trains educators, law enforcement and other community partners who share his passion to reach youth with the truth about drugs before they fall prey to the dwindling spiral of drug abuse and addiction.

At first, life was a party, or so it seemed. When Riaño finished his military service, he found himself the perfect job, working as a PR for an alcohol company that sold to bars and clubs. Nights were a procession of discos and parties.

Then he discovered cocaine. Drugs were easy to come by in the circles he traveled. Night after night he'd get home around 4 a.m. after an entire gram of cocaine and a liter of gin. But the high he felt when he first tried the drug evaded him as he attempted to recreate the sensation by ingesting ever-increasing amounts. "The more I consumed, the worse I felt," he says. "I felt neurotic, unhappy, depressed."

Then he tried supplementing the cocaine with methamphetamine. "I was a human waste," he says. The final straw came with LSD. "It completely destroyed my life."

Riaño's luck only turned when a friend invited him to visit the Church of Scientology and introduced him to technology developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard to free people from drugs. The friend also helped Riaño take stock of his life and his goals and set a new, ethical course for the future.

Drug-free and sober since then, Riaño has been paying forward the help he received by reaching out with Foundation for a Drug-Free World Valencia and its Truth About Drugs initiative, the drug education and prevention campaign supported by Scientology Churches and Scientologists. In addition to bringing the campaign to the classroom, Riaño trains educators, law enforcement and community groups so they too can reach youth with this vital information.

A natural showman, Riaño makes his drug prevention presentations fun. The youth-friendly booklets and videos of the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative make it easy to involve young people in the lessons. He invites their participation by having them create skits. His classes not only make a lasting impression, they also give young people the opportunity to examine their attitudes about drugs and alcohol at a critical time in their lives.

Studies show that the earlier youth begin abusing drugs, the greater the risk of lifelong dependency. Adolescent drug use is also tied to academic difficulties, health-related problems, poor peer relationships, and crime.

After his lessons, he has the classes fill out anonymous surveys, in which quite a few admit that they smoke marijuana, but now say they have decided never to smoke it again. More than 80 percent say they never understood what drugs really were before, but now they do. They often comment that what they thought about drugs before was based on false information. And they feel more confident now about explaining the truth about drugs to friends and siblings.

"Many of them come to tell me that I have changed their lives," says Riaño.

One teacher told Riaño that after his presentation, parents started calling, saying their children arrived home excited and told them all about what they had learned.

"A principal told me he had never seen anything like this. The entire class of 60 students spent an hour and a half totally attentive," he says. A 16-year-old girl told him she was going home to have a very serious talk with her mother. She decided to help her stop drinking because she realized that it was destroying her life. One boy came up to Riaño at the end of the class and said "I am at a point in my life where I was hesitating about whether to continue with sports or start going out drinking at night. Thanks to this class I have absolutely no doubt. I will continue with sports."

Riaño appoints students as Drug-Free Valencia ambassadors and encourages them to share the Truth About Drugs materials with others.

He has recently extended his campaign to the military and is training a corps of volunteers to expand its impact.

For more information, visit the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website, watch the Truth About Drugs documentary and Truth About Drugs public service announcements on the Scientology Network, or visit the nearest Scientology Church to learn more about the campaign and join or create a Drug-Free World chapter in your community.

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https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

No stranger to drug abuse and its toll, Alfredo Riaño, who heads the chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World in Valencia, Spain, shares his own story to help kids avoid the ordeal of addiction that he eventually escaped from. And he trains educators, law enforcement and other community partners who share his passion to reach youth with the truth about drugs before they fall prey to the dwindling spiral of drug abuse and addiction.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Compton Kids Learn the Truth About Drugs Thanks to the Compton Unified School District and its Partnership With Foundation for a Drug-Free World

COMPTON, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- On average, 22 adolescents ages 14 to 18 died of overdose in the U.S. every week in 2022. Each was a tragedy. Reaching youth with effective drug prevention can save young lives. Looking for a program that would get through to kids on this vital subject, Compton Unified School District (CUSD) decided to partner with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. They began using its Truth About Drugs curriculum last summer. And the results proved they were right.

The school district selected this program because it aligns with what local educators know from personal experience: Kids don't want to be told what to do, but they will listen to information.

A Kennedy Elementary School sixth-grade teacher told the Foundation why she finds the program "extremely effective," especially with kids her students' age. Many of her pupils have experienced drug-related problems at home. They are also exposed to false information on the subject from their friends, family members and social media.

"It's important that we discuss these things in the classroom," she says. "I tell them at the beginning of every class, 'it is not my job to tell you not to do drugs. That's the decision that you are going to ultimately make. My job is to give you the facts and the truth about drugs.'"

A sixth-grader spoke of how the program gave her a way to deal with a dilemma. She saw that with drugs she was faced with making choices that would affect her for the rest of her life: "If you choose drugs, it's going to lead to a very bad life," she said. And she saw that by not using drugs, she would have a much better chance to do well in school and have the kind of life she wants.

At another Compton elementary school, the principal brought Drug-Free World Executive Director Jessica Hochman and some of the program's volunteers into a classroom to see the program in action. The teacher had students highlight what they thought was most important in the Truth About Marijuana booklet. They were engaged and involved, and they paired up to discuss what they learned.

"Our objective with the Truth About Drugs program is to empower kids with factual information so that they can make their own decisions," said Hochman. "We're not going to tell them to 'Just say no.' We believe that it's up to us and their parents and teachers to provide them with the truth so they can decide for themselves not to use harmful substances."

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a secular nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. The Truth About Drugs program is the largest and most comprehensive nongovernmental drug education and prevention program of its kind. Overseen by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the program is used by teachers, school counselors, drug education specialists and law enforcement officers around the world. And its drug-free message reaches millions of people each year. Thanks to the support of Scientology Churches and Scientologists the Foundation can provide these materials free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector.

Watch the campaign in action on Voices for Humanity - short documentaries introducing change makers from all faiths, cultures and nations.

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https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.compton.k12.ca.us/

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https://youtu.be/PkQmLViLKJI?si=fKnEVLyuHK7wQtYq

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

On average, 22 adolescents ages 14 to 18 died of overdose in the U.S. every week in 2022. Each was a tragedy. Reaching youth with effective drug prevention can save young lives. Looking for a program that would get through to kids on this vital subject, Compton Unified School District (CUSD) decided to partner with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. They began using its Truth About Drugs curriculum last summer. And the results proved they were right.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Can We Reverse Record Overdose Deaths? Foundation for a Drug-Free World Says ‘Yes’ and the Key Is Prevention

ATLANTA, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- This year's Rx and Illicit Drug Summit highlighted a grim fact of life: "Overdoses and deaths involving synthetic opioids have reached record rates, and every community across our nation is feeling the impact." According to the CDC, more than half of opioid overdose deaths in 10 states studied tested positive for fentanyl. It's time to slam the pedal down on prevention, says Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

"It's time to realize prevention is the only viable solution to the overdose crises," says Drug-Free World Executive Director Jessica Hochman. "Fentanyl has changed the dynamic of drug abuse." The CDC reports that more than half of opioid overdose deaths in 10 states studied tested positive for fentanyl. A 2022 New York Times exposé pointed out "an alarming" portion of overdose deaths among youth came from "counterfeit pills tainted with fentanyl that teenagers and young adults bought over social media."

"The solution is to educate youth so they don't start taking drugs in the first place," says Hochman. "Empower them with confidence that they are doing the right thing in not taking drugs, period."

With more than 4,000 attending the 4-day Rx and Illicit Drug Summit for 2024 in Atlanta, Drug-Free World reached out with a booth to provide their drug education materials and curriculum free of charge to anyone wishing to take effective action.

Based on Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard's research finding "the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs," Scientology Churches and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World whose materials are provided free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector.

Watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network, and episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

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https://www.drugfreeworld.org/news/

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

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This year's Rx and Illicit Drug Summit highlighted a grim fact of life: "Overdoses and deaths involving synthetic opioids have reached record rates, and every community across our nation is feeling the impact." According to the CDC, more than half of opioid overdose deaths in 10 states studied tested positive for fentanyl. It's time to slam the pedal down on prevention, says Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Church of Scientology Vienna’s ‘Say No to Drugs’ Volunteers Spread Easter Cheer With Their Drug Prevention Initiative

VIENNA, Austria /ScoopCloud/ -- This Easter, the Say No to Drugs volunteers of Vienna extend their wish for a bright, healthy future for local children. They've packed their Easter baskets with copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets to give youngsters the information they need to decide for themselves to live drug-free.

As cherry blossoms and magnolias transform the landscape with their annual message of renewal, the volunteers bring a message of bright futures, free from the ravages of drug abuse and addiction.

Austria fares much better than many other countries when it comes to teen drug abuse. However, in November 2023, the Medical University of Vienna reported a significant increase in addiction cases in Austria, with no signs of decline.

The country serves as a transit point for drug smuggling into Europe, particularly from the Balkans and other neighboring regions. Additionally, domestic drug abuse, especially involving opioids and synthetic drugs like MDMA (ecstasy), remains a concern.

While the Austrian government has implemented measures to combat drug trafficking and support individuals struggling with addiction, the Church emphasizes the importance of prevention. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, "For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social, and crime costs."

The Say No to Drugs initiative is an outreach campaign of the Vienna chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free.

Youth never want to be lectured about what is "good" for them or what they can or cannot do. That's why Drug-Free World materials provide them with facts and personal stories from former addicts to empower young people to make their own informed decisions and live drug-free.

Based on Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard's research finding "the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs," Scientology Churches and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World whose materials are provided free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector.

Watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network and episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Church of Scientology Vienna Drug-Free World website, or contact the nearest Church of Scientology.

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This Easter, the Say No to Drugs volunteers of Vienna extend their wish for a bright, healthy future for local children. They've packed their Easter baskets with copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets to give youngsters the information they need to decide for themselves to live drug-free.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Brazilian Gangsta Rapper, Once an Addict and Drug Dealer, Now Uses His Music and Passion to Reach Kids With the Truth About Drugs

CUIABA, Brazil /ScoopCloud/ -- Growing up surrounded by gangs, crime, and violence that plagued his neighborhood in Cuiabá, Brazil, in the '80s and '90s, Diogenes Luiz de Oliveira tried to escape from that life by using and trafficking drugs. Now, he uses his own story and the drug education materials of Foundation for a Drug-Free World to help keep kids out of the trap that consumed and nearly destroyed his life.

Oliveira and his brother were raised by a single mother. While she always put food on the table, childhood was a meager affair. "I remember going through the garbage in the richest neighborhoods to look for toys for my brother and me," he says.

He began using marijuana at 14. Then his uncle introduced him to cocaine. He would come home at dawn after a weekend of nonstop alcohol and cocaine abuse, and his mother would be waiting up for him. She tried to get through to him about what he was doing with his life. But to no avail.

At first, he confined himself to selling marijuana, but he soon graduated to trafficking cocaine and crack. And because he was selling, he always had access to drugs. He started out using cocaine twice a week, but it rapidly accelerated to a constant activity.

Oliveira began singing gangsta rap. "The songs I wrote spoke about my daily life on the streets and the violence on the outskirts of the city," he says. "I extolled crime and gangs in the lyrics and cursed the police." He and his group began opening major shows. It was a dream come true. With fame came increased police scrutiny, and in 2003, he was arrested and served time for drug trafficking and theft. But if prison was supposed to teach him a lesson, it failed. It was there that he began using crack.

"When I got out of prison, addicted to crack, with no future, and with only the streets to shelter me, I plunged headlong into the wrong things," he says.

As fate would have it, his mother had remarried, and her husband was a police officer. When she finally convinced him to go into rehab, it was her husband, a cop, who paid for it.

"It was the best decision I ever made," he says. "Life teaches you in surprising ways. I learned there are good cops and bad cops."

Olveira still raps. But his songs now focus on staying clean. He uses his music to speak his truth: that crime and drugs are not the way to solve the problems in life. He began visiting schools to share his story and to help kids make the decision to live drug-free.

In 2018, he teamed up with Mundo Sem Drogas, the Brazilian chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, and has used its Truth About Drugs booklets and videos to educate some 40,000 local children.

"My dream is to continue rapping and bringing my story to schools to reach them with the truth about drugs," he says.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. Through the support of Scientology Churches and Scientologists, the Foundation offers its drug education resources free of charge to anyone wishing to use them to educate others about drugs. The program is inspired by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who noted the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric. Through his research, he found that "the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

The Foundation's Truth About Drugs materials and online drug education courses are available free of charge in 19 languages through the Foundation's website.

Watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network, and episodes of the network's original series Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse, and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://voicesforhumanity.tv

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

https://voicesforhumanity.tv

Growing up surrounded by gangs, crime, and violence that plagued his neighborhood in Cuiabá, Brazil, in the '80s and '90s, Diogenes Luiz de Oliveira tried to escape from that life by using and trafficking drugs. Now, he uses his own story and the drug education materials of Foundation for a Drug-Free World to help keep kids out of the trap that consumed and nearly destroyed his life.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Drug-Free World and the Church of Scientology Las Vegas: Leading the Charge at Super Bowl LVIII Against Drug Abuse

LAS VEGAS, Nev. /ScoopCloud/ -- Volunteers from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Scientology Churches and Missions across the Southwest gathered at the Church of Scientology Las Vegas February 10 on the eve of Super Bowl LVIII to take on the drug epidemic affecting the city and the nation.

According to the Southern Nevada Health District, 2023 saw a record 237 deaths in the region from fentanyl overdose. But this is a nationwide crisis. What better way to create maximum impact and save lives than by reaching out with the Truth About Drugs initiative to local residents and those arriving in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl from across the nation?

Volunteers gathered in the auditorium of the Church of Scientology Las Vegas to launch their distribution of hundreds of thousands of Truth About Drugs booklets. They handed them out one-on-one to fans all along the Las Vegas Strip and delivered sets of the booklets to shops and restaurants for their customers and patrons.

"Everywhere we went, people wanted booklets to share with friends or family," said one of the volunteers.

Well aware of the lives ruined by drug and alcohol abuse, Scientologists are passionate about taking effective action with the Truth About Drugs initiative.

Noting the increase in substance abuse and the role this has played in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World. The state-of-the-art Scientology Dissemination and Distribution Center produces all the materials for this Church-sponsored humanitarian program, making it possible to provide them free of charge to campaigns like this and to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and institutions in the private sector.

The Church of Scientology Las Vegas is an Ideal Scientology Organization, designed to provide the ideal facilities for Scientologists on their ascent to higher states of spiritual freedom and to serve as a home for the entire community and a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift people of all denominations. The Church was dedicated by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige in 2010.

For more information on the drug education and prevention campaign supported by the Church, visit your nearest Church of Scientology or watch the Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network.

Photo Caption: Drug-Free World volunteers brought their Truth About Drugs initiative to those arriving in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.

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https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientology-lasvegas.org

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https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

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Volunteers from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Scientology Churches and Missions across the Southwest gathered at the Church of Scientology Las Vegas February 10 on the eve of Super Bowl LVIII to take on the drug epidemic affecting the city and the nation. According to the Southern Nevada Health District, 2023 saw a record 237 deaths in the region from fentanyl overdose.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Scientology-Supported Drug Prevention Campaign Raises Awareness About Drugs to Help Youth Stay Healthy and Safe Despite Emerging Drug Trends

PARIS, France /ScoopCloud/ -- Despite one of the most restrictive drug policies in Europe, France has the highest use of cocaine and second-highest use of cannabis in Europe according to a March 2023 report by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT). But in Paris, drug-prevention volunteers of the Church of Scientology believe drug education can radically change this trend for the better. They are ramping up their Dites Non à la Drogue (Say No to Drugs) campaign to help youth create a better future for themselves.

The change in trafficking and production routes affecting Europe make drug education more important than ever, these volunteers say. EUROPOL reports an increase in methamphetamine and cocaine linked to Mexican cartels - the same cartels responsible for lacing counterfeit prescription drugs with deadly doses of the opioid fentanyl resulting in spiraling drug overdose deaths in the U.S. When youth know the truth about drugs, they are far less likely to abuse them.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs."

Dites Non à la Drogue uses the drug-education materials of Foundation for a Drug-Dree World, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. Through the support of Scientology Churches and Scientologists, the Foundation offers its drug education resources free of charge to anyone wishing to use them to educate others about drugs. These materials and online drug education courses are available in 19 languages through the Foundation's website.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard noted the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric: "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network, and episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

For more information, visit the Scientology website, the Drug-Free World website, or contact your nearest Church of Scientology, where staff will help you with whatever you need to join the movement to help youth and adults make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

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https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

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https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

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Despite one of the most restrictive drug policies in Europe, France has the highest use of cocaine and second-highest use of cannabis in Europe according to a March 2023 report by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT). But in Paris, drug-prevention volunteers of the Church of Scientology believe drug education can radically change this trend for the better. They are ramping up their Dites Non à la Drogue (Say No to Drugs) campaign to help youth create a better future for themselves.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

A Cross-Country Crusade to Help Educators Keep Children Safe

SEATTLE, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- Sean Burke's passion is helping others. A lifelong volunteer and a Scientologist since 1987, during the pandemic he worked with a nonprofit formed by top ICU doctors, sharing information on how to properly treat COVID in the hospital and at home. But this year, he decided to focus on another pandemic: The spiraling drug crisis that is affecting youth throughout America. He took action by introducing thousands of educators to the Truth About Drugs-the drug education and prevention initiative supported by the Church of Scientology.

Burke and his wife moved to Seattle in 2022. Always on the lookout to create positive change, he connected with the local chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, sponsored by the Seattle Church of Scientology, and helped staff a booth at a local educator conference.

"Teachers were lining up to talk to us and get drug education materials," he says. He was stunned by how interested they were in the program. So he volunteered to drive 1,400 miles across four states to man a Drug-Free World booth at an educator conference in Fargo, North Dakota. The reach there was just as strong as what he saw in Seattle.

He found the same intense interest in the program when he set up a booth at a conference in Missoula, Montana. So Burke selected nine other conferences taking place on the East Coast and Midwest over six weeks at the start of the school year. And he reached out to other Scientology Churches to line up volunteers to cover conferences taking place at the same time in their own areas.

He flew into Baltimore in October, rented a cargo van to carry his materials, and set off to Charleston, West Virginia. Checking into the hotel where the conference was taking place, two women approached and thanked him for being there. They'd both lost people to overdose. Little did Burke know when he selected this conference as the first stop of his tour that Charleston is, as the two women told him, "the opioid capital of the world."

The following day, a retired teacher came to his booth to introduce Burke to her "sole surviving daughter." Two others had died of opioid overdose. Her daughter, a teacher like her mom, took a Truth About Drugs education package to use in her classroom. Another educator shared a link to the Truth About Drugs videos on painkillers and alcohol with 2,400 physical education and driver-ed teachers.

Three weeks and four conferences later in Lincoln, Nebraska, the woman in the booth next to his told Burke "I used to use the Truth About Drugs in my classroom." That was when she taught 8th grade. Now, she's with the University of Nebraska training future health teachers while she pursues her Ph.D. in health education. She wanted 20 Truth About Drugs lesson plans for her student teachers to use with their health education pupils. He helped her order the full Truth About Drugs Educators' Kits, which also include all materials, assignments, and suggested classroom activities, which Foundation for a Drug-Free World ships out free of charge.

"Wherever I set up at a conference I would meet educators who have been using these materials successfully for years," he said. In Verona, New York, a town 35 miles east of Syracuse, nearly 70 percent of the educators who stopped by his booth had either heard of or were using the program in their classrooms.

While Burke was driving 7,000 miles across 21 states to staff a booth at nine conferences, volunteers he activated brought the program to another 21 conferences from Texas to Wisconsin and Maine to Alabama. In all, 97 volunteers distributed more than 1,700 educator kits and 668,000 sets of Truth About Drugs materials.

Far from thinking the job is now done, Burke is only getting started. Between his own volunteer work and those he encourages to join in the campaign, he is planning to bring the Truth About Drugs initiative to 50 conferences and distribute 1 million drug education materials to educators throughout the country in the coming year.

What Burke likes best about the campaign is the enthusiasm educators have for the curriculum. They tell him that kids find the booklets and videos fascinating; the Truth About Drugs materials help young people examine their attitudes about drugs and alcohol and make firm decisions about how they will live their lives. And they give them tools to help friends and family members on this urgent issue.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World, making it possible for the Foundation to provide its drug education materials free of charge to educators, law enforcement, parents and anyone wishing to reach others with the truth about drugs.

Noting the increase in substance abuse and the role this has played in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Voices for Humanity, a Scientology Network original series of documentaries about changemakers of diverse cultures and faiths, spotlights drug education and prevention activists who use the Truth About Drugs campaign to create positive change in their communities and nations. Watch them on the Scientology Network, available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streaming at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientology-seattle.org

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/course

https://voicesforhumanity.tv

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

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VIDEO

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https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

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Sean Burke's passion is helping others. A lifelong volunteer and a Scientologist since 1987, during the pandemic he worked with a nonprofit formed by top ICU doctors, sharing information on how to properly treat COVID in the hospital and at home. But this year, he decided to focus on another pandemic: The spiraling drug crisis that is affecting youth throughout America.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Bringing the Truth About Drugs to the Fan Zone as the Bruins and Bears Faced Off at the Rose Bowl in Their Final PAC-12 Game

PASADENA, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- While two of California's favorite college teams faced each other on the football field this weekend, drug-prevention activists from nearby Scientology Churches set up a bright teal tent in the fan zone to win a different kind of competition altogether: reaching kids before drug dealers do.

California has the highest number of drug overdose deaths in the country. And these volunteers are determined to change this.

"When people really understand what drugs are and what they do, they are far less likely to abuse them," says Jessica Hochman, Executive Director of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the drug education and prevention campaign supported by the Church of Scientology and Scientologists. "That's why we are so committed to reaching youth before they begin to experiment with drugs."

The tent had a continuous stream of visitors of all ages throughout the afternoon and evening.

Volunteers encouraged young and old to sign the Foundation's drug-free pledge board and scan the QR code that took them to the free drug education courses, available in 20 languages on the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website.

Parents encouraged their kids to sign the pledge and they took home copies of the booklets.

Educators were particularly interested in the program and they ordered the Truth About Drugs Educator's Guide to use with their classes.

A Scout leader wanted to empower his Scouts with this information. He was invited to the "Join a Team" section of the Foundation's website.

A 5th-grade teacher spoke of how she encounters kids and families all the time who are struggling with drugs. It gave her hope to learn of the success of the campaign and she immediately ordered the materials.

The mother of a 9-year-old son was relieved when she toured the tent. There are kids his age at school who are already abusing drugs. She took sets of the youth-friendly drug-education booklets to share with her son and his friends.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. Through the support of Scientology Churches and Scientologists, the Foundation offers its drug education resources free of charge to anyone wishing to use them to educate others about drugs.

For more information on Foundation for a Drug-Free World, watch its public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary, or episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action.

Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://voicesforhumanity.tv

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

While two of California's favorite college teams faced each other on the football field this weekend, drug-prevention activists from nearby Scientology Churches set up a bright teal tent in the fan zone to win a different kind of competition altogether: reaching kids before drug dealers do.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Italian Volunteers Say an Active, Creative Lifestyle is a Much Better High Than Drugs

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Is LSD harmless? Can a single hit of crack hurt you? How addictive is heroin, really? And what about marijuana? "You need to know the truth about drugs," say the volunteers of Foundation for the Drug-Free World Italy - the drug education and prevention initiative supported by the Church of Scientology.

Hundreds of thousands of young people and their families visit the city of Lucca for its annual Comics & Games Festival. Which is why the Drug-Free World Italy volunteers were there: to reach young people with their youth-friendly Truth About Drugs booklets. And they also talk to parents to urge them to use these materials to help their children make informed decisions on this vital subject.

The Foundation's Truth About Drugs booklets provide facts about the most commonly abused drugs, including hashish and marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, crack, LSD, amphetamines, alcohol, and opioid painkillers and other prescription drugs. The booklets inform the reader of the short and long-term effects of these substances on the body and mind.

Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard noted the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric: "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

"More and more people are dying of drug overdose in Italy every year," says Drug-Free World Italy executive director Oreste Depaoli. "People are not well informed about what drugs are and what they do. And there are active campaigns in our society that make it look like drugs do no harm. If people knew what drugs really lead to, they could choose not to take them."

Depaoli is featured in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network, available in 17 languages on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streaming at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n0GFfmxTwZA

Is LSD harmless? Can a single hit of crack hurt you? How addictive is heroin, really? And what about marijuana? "You need to know the truth about drugs," say the volunteers of Foundation for the Drug-Free World Italy - the drug education and prevention initiative supported by the Church of Scientology.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Scientology Network Overdose Awareness Day Programming Provides Help, Promotes Prevention

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- In the U.S. alone, every five minutes someone dies of overdose. International Overdose Awareness Day is observed both to remember the victims of drug overdoses and to inform the world of the urgent need to adopt effective drug education campaigns.

Scientology Network's programming features powerful, informative films and anti-drug activists who work in partnership with Foundation for a Drug-Free World to provide evidence-based education programs to stem the rise of drug overdose.

Focusing on the critical importance of early education to combat drug use, Foundation for a Drug-Free World partners with schools, community organizations and government institutions, empowering people in 180 countries with information on the true dangers of drugs.

"Drugs affect everybody," says Drug-Free World Florida President Julietta Santagostina in her episode of Voices for Humanity. "It doesn't matter what class, what religion, where you live, where you come from, it affects all of us. My purpose is to reverse that, to empower others with real facts, real information about drugs so they can make an educated decision."

The marathon event is broadcast around the world in 17 languages and includes:

* Voices for Humanity, the only ongoing television series dedicated to those working in the streets, schools and communities to combat drugs and other major social ills

* PSAs to raise awareness of the dangers of drug use

* The Truth About Drugs documentary, a powerful and comprehensive look into the true dangers of drugs, from marijuana, opioids and synthetic street drugs, to the addictive pharmaceuticals marketed with slick Madison Avenue advertising campaigns

The International Overdose Awareness Day marathon airs all day August 31. Visit Scientology.tv/schedule for the full schedule.

The Scientology Network debuted on March 12, 2018. Since launching, with an introduction by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, the Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about the Scientology religion and Founder L. Ron Hubbard, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists, showing the Church as a global organization, and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by independent filmmakers who represent a cross-section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities.

Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/lance-dyer.html

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/julieta-santagostino.html

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

In the U.S. alone, every five minutes someone dies of overdose. International Overdose Awareness Day is observed both to remember the victims of drug overdoses and to inform the world of the urgent need to adopt effective drug education campaigns.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Voices for Humanity Plants the Seeds for a Drug-Free Future with Julieta Santagostino

CLEARWATER, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- VOICES FOR HUMANITY - the weekly series presenting heroic change makers from a variety of faiths, cultures and nations, working to uplift their communities - announces a new episode featuring the work of anti-drug activist Julieta Santagostino on June 21, 2023.

Florida is a point of entry for illegal drug traffickers moving their products from Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. With such widespread access, drug use in Florida has soared. But Julieta Santagostino is leading a fight to turn that trend around, saving kids from becoming addicted to drugs by going into schools throughout the state and educating them on the true dangers of drugs.

ABOUT JULIETA SANTAGOSTINO:

Julieta Santagostino and her family left the border town of Juarez, Mexico, to escape the violence of the drug trade that had engulfed the city. Settling in Florida, Julieta soon witnessed many of the same problems she had experienced in Mexico. She decided to fight back against the drug trade, ultimately discovering and partnering with Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida. Combating abuse at the grass roots, Julieta organized protests in front of known drug houses that not only gained media attention but also drove dealers out of neighborhoods. At the same time, she focused on prevention, beginning a campaign of informing kids and educating police departments throughout the state on the true dangers of drugs.

Julieta Santagostino currently serves as the president for the Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida.

ABOUT THE SCIENTOLOGY NETWORK:

The Scientology Network debuted on March 12, 2018. Since launching, the Scientology Network has been viewed in over 240 countries and territories in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology and Founder L. Ron Hubbard, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists, showing the Church as a global organization, and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by independent filmmakers who represent a cross-section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities.

Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/julieta-santagostino.html

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VIDEO: https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/julieta-santagostino.html

VOICES FOR HUMANITY - the weekly series presenting heroic change makers from a variety of faiths, cultures and nations, working to uplift their communities - announces a new episode featuring the work of anti-drug activist Julieta Santagostino on June 21, 2023.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Join the Drug-Free Heroes and Help Protect Youth from Drug Overdose

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Church of Scientology Los Angeles hosts the second annual National Red Ribbon Week Drug-Free Heroes Awards to help end the deadly crisis that is threatening the lives of L.A. kids. Los Angeles was rocked in September by the death of a 15-year-old student who died in school after taking a single pill laced with fentanyl. She was the seventh L.A. teenager to overdose on fentanyl in the previous 30 days.

Can anything be done to prevent such tragedies? Foundation for a Drug-Free World says "Yes." That is why the Church of Scientology and the L.A.-based Strike Out Against Drugs nonprofit joined forces to hold their 2nd annual Drug-Free Heroes Awards Gala at the Church of Scientology Los Angeles in celebration of National Red Ribbon Week.

Event keynote speaker and awardee Mr. Henry Lozano is an example of what one man or woman can do to reverse this catastrophe. For decades, countless children's lives have been saved because of his work.

Lozano is the founder of National Red Ribbon week, the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program. He also served as director of USA Freedom Corps under President George W. Bush, has held the position of director of Los Angeles County Teen Challenge and Urban Ministries Initiative since 2011, and is active in Californians for Drug-Free Youth and Points of Light Foundation.

National Red Ribbon Week honors the life and sacrifice of Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent working undercover in the 1980s to close the pipeline of deadly drugs into the U.S. from Mexico. His operation was compromised and in February 1985, Camarena was kidnapped. A month later, his body was found.

Lozano, a high school friend of Camarena, launched Camarena Clubs in their hometown of Calexico, California, in coordination with Congressman Duncan Hunter. Hundreds of club members wore red ribbons and pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Camarena and others. In 1988, the campaign gained national prominence when President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan agreed to serve as honorary chairpersons.

Each year, during the last week in October, more than 80 million young people and adults show their commitment to healthy, drug-free living while wearing or displaying the Red Ribbon.

Betsy Davis, who coordinates the Drug-Free World Foundation's Los Angeles chapter, showed those attending how simple it is for anyone to take effective action to combat this deadly crisis.

The Foundation's Truth About Drug materials communicate the cold, hard truth about what drugs are and what they do in youth-friendly booklets and videos. The Truth About Drugs educator's manual enables anyone to provide fact-based drug education.

Cohosting the event was David Sanchez, founder of the L.A. nonprofit Strike Out Against Drugs. Since 2014, his organization has visited more than a hundred communities throughout Los Angeles and Southern California spreading the truth about drugs, reaching some 1.5 million people with an anti-drug message and changing the lives of countless kids. A documentary on his work and accomplishments is featured as an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network.

Twelve new Drug-Free Heroes were awarded for their dedication and work to creating a Drug-Free Los Angeles and beyond. These included Beacon of Hope Sober Living cofounder Nick Salvato; Grace Sierra, Los Angeles-based Vice Consul of Honduras; and Alejandro Jose Letona Alvarado, Consul General of El Salvador and his staff.

Mr. Lozano presented Anna Grace Zaucha with the prestigious Gold Medal Presidential Volunteer Award including a medallion, certificate of achievement and a letter signed by President Biden in honor of her outstanding volunteer work to help youth remain drug-free.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World, making it possible to provide the materials free of charge to teachers, community groups, churches, and anyone wishing to educate others on the facts behind drugs and addiction.

After extensive research on the effects of drugs, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

The Church of Scientology Los Angeles is designed to provide ideal facilities for Scientologists on their ascent to higher states of spiritual freedom and to serve as a home for the entire community -- a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift people of all denominations. The Church was dedicated by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige in 2010.

The Church of Scientology Los Angeles is featured in an episode of Inside Scientology on the Scientology Network, available on DIRECTV channel 320 and streaming at Scientology.tv, through mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

For more information, visit the website of the Church of Scientology Los Angeles or the new interactive timeline at Scientology.org/our-help-is-yours/.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.org/our-help-is-yours/

https://www.scientology-losangeles.org

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

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VIDEO: https://youtu.be/B0xMnowNCYo

Church of Scientology Los Angeles hosts the second annual National Red Ribbon Week Drug-Free Heroes Awards to help end the deadly crisis that is threatening the lives of L.A. kids. Event keynote speaker and awardee Mr. Henry Lozano is an example of what one man or woman can do to reverse this catastrophe. For decades, countless children's lives have been saved because of his work.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Scientology Churches Urge Action to Save Lives from Drug Overdose

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Churches and Scientologists mark International Drug Overdose Awareness Day by bringing the truth about drugs to bear against the deadly pandemic of overdose deaths. Drug overdose doesn't discriminate. It honors no borders. It strikes anyone and anywhere. And its allies are ignorance and deception.

This is why Scientologists the world over, working with like-minded groups and individuals, are launching International Overdose Awareness Day activities to promote drug prevention to end the senseless deaths.

Never has drug education and prevention been more important:

* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that some 108,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses from February 2021 to February 2022. Of those, more than 70 percent involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

* Though overdose deaths are considerably lower in the UK than in the U.S., the British Medical Journal describes escalating rates of drug-related deaths in that country as "a public health crisis," with record numbers, the highest in Europe, increasing over the past decade.

* The number of Australians dying of unintentional drug overdose each year also continues to rise.

What is the answer?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime states: "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs."

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the world's largest nongovernmental education initiative. They sponsor Drug-Free World chapters, host drug prevention open house programs, and reach out to their communities on International Overdose Awareness Day and throughout the year with the Foundation's The Truth About Drugs series of fourteen illustrated drug information booklets containing facts about the most commonly abused drugs.

To make these resources broadly available, Scientology Network broadcasts:

* The Foundation's The Truth About Drugs: Real People-Real Stories documentary

* They Said-They Lied public service announcements

* Voices for Humanity episodes featuring drug-prevention activists who are saving young lives that would otherwise be lost to drugs.

The Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center produces and distributes The Truth About Drugs Education Package free of charge to drug education instructors, law enforcement agencies, and government and private sector institutions.

The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

MULTIMEDIA:

https://youtu.be/YAHVESjVkWs

Scientology Churches and Scientologists mark International Drug Overdose Awareness Day by bringing the truth about drugs to bear against the deadly pandemic of overdose deaths. Drug overdose doesn't discriminate. It honors no borders.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

How Secular Programs Supported by the Church of Scientology Help and Empower Youth

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- In honor of International Youth Day, August 12, the Church of Scientology shares humanitarian initiatives to help young people set a positive course for their lives and thrive.

It's a very challenging time for youth. On the eve of International Youth Day 2022:

* Some 1.2 billion children are living in poverty worldwide.

* About 152 million children age 5-17 are subject to child labor.

* In the U.S., adolescent overdose deaths have doubled since 2010.

* One-third of the world's youth suffer from bullying.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists are committed to providing youth with the tools they need to survive. One way they do this is by supporting humanitarian and social betterment programs:

* United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International are initiatives that help youth understand the 30 rights of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Their booklets and audiovisual materials make it simple to understand these rights and inspire them to become advocates for tolerance and peace.

* Foundation for a Drug-Free World presents the truth about drugs with youth-friendly videos and booklets that help young people make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

* The Way to Happiness Foundation uplifts communities through "The Way to Happiness," the common-sense guide to better living written by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. People of all faiths and none use this booklet to instill values and increase their own chances of survival and the survival of others.

Anyone wishing to use these initiatives is invited to watch "Voices for Humanity," an original series on the Scientology Network. Episodes document how changemakers of all faiths, cultures and nations extend help to their communities and create positive change for youth through these humanitarian programs-all of them available free of charge thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists:

* In Colombia, Ingrida Lingyte learned that 70 percent of youth believed that marijuana was not dangerous and that using drugs was cool. Knowing firsthand the devastation substance abuse causes, she and her team have redefined "cool" by reaching one-fifth of the population of Colombia with the Truth About Drugs.

* Indian actor and television personality Sheena Chohan is a Youth for Human Rights Ambassador. She reaches millions with her message of the importance of knowing human rights to make South Asia a safer place for everyone.

* In Denver, Colorado, Rev. Leon Kelly is turning around the lives of ex-offenders and hard-core gang members with "The Way to Happiness."

The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/feYDc1T0GqM

In honor of International Youth Day, August 12, the Church of Scientology shares humanitarian initiatives to help young people set a positive course for their lives and thrive.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Help End the Drug Abuse Crisis: Learn How on the Scientology Network

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The United Nations set aside June 26 as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking "to promote action and cooperation toward the goal of an international society free of drug abuse." And at no time has it been more urgent to do so. The Scientology Network marks the day by focusing on humanitarians who are working to end the drug abuse crisis in towns and cities across the world.

According to a study published in 2018, illicit drug use was responsible for over 750,000 deaths per year. In the U.S. alone, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that more than 105,000 lives were lost due to overdose in 2021. Little wonder that the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is calling for "urgent action to protect people, including by strengthening drug use prevention...." And this is why they selected #CareInCrises as this year's slogan for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

A global problem demands a global solution. Which is why the Church of Scientology developed the Truth About Drugs, now one of the world's largest nongovernmental drug information and prevention initiatives. In 2006, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a secular nonprofit corporation, was formed to serve as the primary distributor of the educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends.

Scientology Network is marking this year's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by featuring episodes of the original series "Voices for Humanity," documenting the work of drug-prevention activists who are saving lives:

* On the streets of Los Angeles, former addict David Sanchez uses Foundation for a Drug-Free World materials to give kids the street smarts they need to make the right choice about living drug-free. "I knew that I had to find a way to educate people," he says. "Knowing about something that could hurt you is half the battle of being able to defeat it."

* Some 8,700 miles away in Malaysia, Khai Aziz, lead singer of the hard-core straight-edge punk band Second Combat, uses his music to spread the message to youth that there's nothing cool about using drugs. Straight edge is hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using drugs. And with drug dealers targeting younger and younger children, Aziz is fighting back, using the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative to reach kids in school.

* Lithuanian-born Ingrida Lingyte's life was changed forever when her mother was killed and her sister paralyzed in an accident caused by a drunk driver. Years later, on a visit to Colombia, she fell in love with the country and made it her home. To combat Colombia's drug culture and the suffering it causes, Lingyte and her team have reached one-fifth of the country's population with the Truth About Drugs. And they're still going strong.

Episodes on these and many more drug-prevention activists will be airing throughout the day, showing how people from all walks of life, nationalities and affiliations are using the Truth About Drugs initiative to raise awareness about drugs and help people make the decision to live drug-free lives.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs."

Noting the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World was formed in 2006 to serve as the primary distributor of educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends. The Foundation has grown to a network of some 200 chapters around the world. Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, it provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge to drug educators worldwide.

"Voices for Humanity" is a Scientology Network original series of short documentaries introducing changemakers from all faiths, cultures and nations as they extend help to their communities through Scientology-sponsored humanitarian programs.

Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/95biwRmra1k

The United Nations set aside June 26 as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking "to promote action and cooperation toward the goal of an international society free of drug abuse." And at no time has it been more urgent to do so. The Scientology Network marks the day by focusing on humanitarians who are working to end the drug abuse crisis in towns and cities across the world.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Scientology Churches Across the Globe Support Drug Prevention as World Drug Day 2022 Approaches

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- With International Day Against Drug Abuse and Human Trafficking one week away, Scientology Churches across the world rededicate themselves to handling "the other pandemic" - drug abuse and addiction.

Drug overdose deaths of youth age 14-18 nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 and the numbers continue to climb. The cause: counterfeit pain and anxiety medications laced with fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids.

The motto of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for this year's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is #CareinCrisis, highlighting the urgency of dealing with this "other pandemic" affecting our youth.

A global problem, drug abuse demands a global solution. And the Church of Scientology and its members are dedicated to reversing drug abuse, addiction and overdose casualties by addressing this crisis through education.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists sponsor the Truth About Drugs program, one of the world's largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention initiatives.

Because young people presented with the unvarnished facts about what drugs can do are far more likely to reject them on their own, Truth About Drugs is in high demand as an educational tool in schools, law enforcement units and community-based settings.

In preparation for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Scientology Churches have scheduled drug education conferences and open house events where officials and community leaders will brief those attending on the crisis as it affects their communities and coordinate effective action to tackle the problem.

Working with local chapters of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Scientology Churches provide drug education specialist training, work with educators and school resource officers to reach youth through school presentations and set up information stands in high-traffic areas.

The materials present:
* A factual and concise overview of exactly what drugs are, how they work and what they do
* Their street names
* The long- and short-term side effects of the most commonly abused substances.

As to getting through to children and teens on this crucial subject, Truth About Drugs booklets and videos are presented in youth-friendly terms. And they hear about drugs from those who lived through addiction and survived to tell their stories.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World also offers interactive Truth About Drugs courses designed for anyone to learn this information at their own pace.

Learn more about the Truth About Drugs initiative and Foundation for a Drug-Free World on the Scientology Network, where drug prevention advocates creating change with the program are featured in episodes of the original series "Voices for Humanity."

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a volunteer-based organization with a network of 200 chapters around the world. Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge to drug educators worldwide.

Watch "Voices for Humanity." on DIRECTV Channel 320 or stream episodes at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/

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VIDEO: https://youtu.be/WPHAsH3wFGY

With International Day Against Drug Abuse and Human Trafficking one week away, Scientology Churches across the world rededicate themselves to handling "the other pandemic" - drug abuse and addiction.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Drug Prevention Volunteers Say Truth is the Best Answer to Dangerous New Drugs

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Churches promoted drug education on World Health Day April 7, with seminars, presentations and drug education distribution events to prevent drug abuse and overdose deaths.

With a powerful new synthetic opioid known as ISO (isotonitazene) leaving disaster in its wake, the need for effective drug education and prevention has never been greater than now. Scientologists used this UN Day to introduce their communities to a program that can save lives.

The Pennsylvania-based Center for Forensic Science Research and Education estimates that ISO is 10 times more powerful than fentanyl, the drug responsible for the spike in overdose deaths in the United States.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned the drug is "so strong that it can kill just by coming in contact with someone's skin or being accidentally inhaled. ISO has already been linked to overdose deaths in Florida." And she urges people to "please, never take any illicit drug and know that using just one time could cost you your life."

The UK has also seen an increase in drug poisoning deaths during the pandemic with approximately two-thirds of the deaths related to opioids. The British Medical Journal states isotonitazene "is 500 times more potent than morphine."

Scientology Churches and Missions sponsor chapters of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Volunteers share the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative with local families, educators, school resource officers and anyone wishing to prevent senseless overdose deaths and help youth get off to a good start in life.

One of the key elements of the Foundation's drug education and prevention materials is the award-winning Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary. It features interviews with former addicts who lived to tell the tale. And a common thread in their stories is that:

* No one sets out to become a drug addict.

* Drug pushers will say anything to get you to experiment with a drug.

* If they had any idea what would happen to them, they would never have started.

It isn't enough to tell kids to "say 'No' to drugs." They have to understand why. That is what makes the Truth About Drugs so effective. By watching the videos and reading the youth-friendly booklets, young people can make the self-determined decision to do what experts say is the only foolproof way of avoiding overdose deaths in this age of designer additives: Simply do not experiment with illicit drugs in the first place.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a secular nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. The Foundation oversees the Truth About Drugs campaign and coordinates an international network of volunteers brought together by their common purpose to create a drug-free world.

Grown to a network of thousands of volunteers in more than 200 chapters around the world, the Foundation partners with some 1,800 groups and organizations.

The Scientology Network original series Voices for Humanity documents the kind of change this initiative can accomplish:

* In San Diego, California, Dr. Beatriz Villarreal uses the initiative to combat drug abuse by educating families on the dangers of drugs.

* In his native Massachusetts and throughout the U.S. Darren Tessitore works with driver's education programs to take action against drug-related accidents.

* In New York City, the father and daughter team Dr. Bernard and Meghan Fialkoff have reached thousands of innercity schoolchildren with the Truth About Drugs.

* And from Colombia to Malaysia, South Africa to the Philippines and Kenya to India, drug prevention activists are empowering generations of youth with an initiative that continues to grow exponentially at the grassroots level.

Learn more about the Truth About Drugs initiative and Foundation for a Drug-Free World on the Scientology Network. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/episodes/

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Scientology Churches promoted drug education on World Health Day April 7, with seminars, presentations and drug education distribution events to prevent drug abuse and overdose deaths. With a powerful new synthetic opioid known as ISO (isotonitazene) leaving disaster in its wake, the need for effective drug education and prevention has never been greater than now.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Church of Scientology of Los Angeles Launches a Massive Drug Prevention Campaign

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- With overdose deaths spiking in Los Angeles County during the pandemic, Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers mobilize from the Church of Scientology Los Angeles to reach out with a drug education and prevention drive.

Drug abuse is not just a threat, it is a fact - another type of pandemic that affects the entire country and the world. And according to the L.A. County Department of Health, accidental drug overdose deaths rose 52 percent in the first 10 months of the pandemic over the same time period the year before, with the highest proportion associated with methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Foundation for Drug-Free World volunteers from across the city have launched an all-out campaign to get out their drug-free message to local residents and 150,000 visitors expected to arrive from out of town for the Super Bowl and its related activities.

Drug-Free World brings its education and prevention campaign to communities worldwide to reach people with the unvarnished truth about the most commonly abused drugs.

The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles, which sponsors a Drug-Free World chapter, is the coordination point for the launch.

Volunteers pack pick-up trucks with boxes of drug education booklets to distribute to stores, restaurants, hotels and community groups. They also hand out booklets to friends and neighbors.

International Drug-Free World coordinator Jessica Hochman says "Addiction in Los Angeles affects so many people, not just addicts but their families and friends. Drugs have somehow become 'acceptable.' But they ruin lives. We want to reach as many people as possible with our fact-based drug education."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit, international drug education program supported by the Church of Scientology and Scientologists. Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard noted the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric. He wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Foundation for a Drug-Free World was formed in 2006 to serve as the primary distributor of educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends.

The Church of Scientology Los Angeles is an Ideal Scientology Organization dedicated in April 2010 by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige. The Church, featured in an episode of Inside Scientology, is configured to service Scientologists in their ascent to spiritual freedom and serve as a home for the entire community - a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift people of all denominations.

For more information, visit the websites of the Church of Scientology Los Angeles, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, or watch the Drug-Free World public service announcement and the Truth About Drugs: Real People-Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network.

Learn more at: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

CITATIONS:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/MDU/SpecialReport/AccidentalDrugOverdoseReportJuly2021V2.0.pdf

With overdose deaths spiking in Los Angeles County during the pandemic, Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers mobilize from the Church of Scientology Los Angeles to reach out with a drug education and prevention drive.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

In the Fight Against Drugs, Education is the Most Effective Weapon

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions across Italy provide fact-based drug education to help stem the damage caused by drug abuse and addiction.

A study published in November 2021 in "The Lancet" found "in the past decade, cannabis use, treatment rates and potency levels have increased in Europe, highlighting major concerns about the public health impact of cannabis use." (*Citation: see link below.)

Italian volunteers bring the Truth About Drugs materials published by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World to their communities and use Zoom conferences and other online resources to promote the importance of drug education in reversing these trends.

The need for effective drug education and prevention is highlighted by recent developments in the illicit drug market in Europe, largely related to globalization and new technologies, including innovation in drug production and trafficking methods, the emergence of new drug trafficking routes and the growth of online markets. Europe is an important market for drugs, fueled both by domestic production and by illicit imports from other regions.

In addition to serving as a transit point for narcotics to other continents, Europe is also a region where cannabis and synthetic drugs are produced. Most of the cannabis produced is destined for consumption in Europe, while synthetic drugs are produced for the European market and exported to other parts of the world.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs." (*Citation: see link below.)

Learn more about the Truth About Drugs initiative and Foundation for a Drug-Free World on the Scientology Network, where drug prevention advocates creating change with the program are featured in episodes of the original series Voices for Humanity.

Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

RELATED LINKS:

https://www.scientology.tv/

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/prevention/prevention-standards.html

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(21)00213-1/fulltext

Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions across Italy provide fact-based drug education to help stem the damage caused by drug abuse and addiction.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Church of Scientology Reaches Out to Help End the Drug Overdose Crisis

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Just last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States during the 12-month period ending April 2021. The Church of Scientology International urges concerned parents, educators and community leaders to take action against the "other pandemic" with drug education and prevention.

The Church is making fact-based drug education materials and courses available free of charge to anyone wishing to help turn around what the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is calling "a national crisis" that "knows no geographical boundaries."

Drawing on five decades in the field of drug education and prevention, the Church of Scientology developed the Truth About Drugs, now one of the world's largest nongovernmental drug information and prevention initiatives. In 2006, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a secular nonprofit corporation, was formed to serve as the primary distributor of the educational materials and to develop new materials to meet the challenge of continually changing drug trends.

The Foundation today oversees the Truth About Drugs campaign and coordinates an international network of volunteers brought together by their common purpose to create a drug-free world.

The Foundation has grown to a network of thousands of volunteers in more than 200 chapters around the world and partnerships with some 1,800 groups and organizations.

The Scientology Network original series Voices for Humanity documents the kind of change this initiative is accomplishing:

* In San Diego, California, Dr. Beatriz Villarreal uses the initiative to combat drug abuse by educating families on the dangers of drugs.

* In his native Massachusetts and throughout the U.S. Darren Tessitore works with driver's education programs to take action against drug-related accidents, vital with traffic deaths clocking in at 20,160 in the first six months of 2021-18.4 percent higher than last year.

* In New York City, the father and daughter team Dr. Bernard and Meghan Fialkoff have reached thousands of inner city schoolchildren with the Truth About Drugs.

* And from Colombia to Malaysia, South Africa to the Philippines and Kenya to India, drug prevention activists are empowering generations of youth with an initiative that continues to grow exponentially at the grassroots level.

All this to say there is effective action parents, educators and community leaders can take to protect their children, communities and the next generation from drug abuse and addiction. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs."

Learn more about the Truth About Drugs initiative and Foundation for a Drug-Free World on the Scientology Network.

Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

Just last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States during the 12-month period ending April 2021. The Church of Scientology International urges concerned parents, educators and community leaders to take action against the "other pandemic" with drug education and prevention.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Scientology Network Shares Vital Information on International Overdose Awareness Day

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- On International Overdose Awareness Day, a full day of drug-prevention programming on the Scientology Network provides solutions at the grassroots level. The Church of Scientology International invites parents, educators and civic and community leaders wishing to make a difference about the drug overdose crisis to see how leaders in the field of drug prevention are making an impact on this urgent issue.

Beginning at 5:30 a.m. EDT on International Overdose Awareness Day, Scientology Network is airing shows on how leaders in the field of drug prevention are making a difference, using the Truth About Drugs materials of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

"Voices for Humanity" episodes feature drug prevention heroes from across the globe:

* Michael DeLeon, founder of Steered Straight nonprofit, travels across the U.S. educating millions of people about the danger of drugs.

* Darren Tessitore has reached an estimated 3.1 million students with the truth about drugs through partnership with driver education groups.

* Meghan Fialkoff leads a corps of drug prevention volunteers educating inner-city schoolchildren in New York on the dangers of drugs.

* Former El Salvadoran Air Force Officer Hugo Angulo Rogel reaches youth in his country's schools with his popular anti-drug program.

* Maite Marques, a former drug addict, who lived on the streets in the Philippines before turning her life around, became an inspirational leading voice in the battle to educate the country's youth on the devastating effects of street drugs.

* The Jive Aces, U.K.'s No.1 Jive & Swing band, promote a drug-free lifestyle through their high-energy shows and music and their unrelenting commitment to community service and helping others.

* Vasu Yajnik started a movement to combat the culture of drug use in India.

* Dr. Beatriz Villarreal made it her life's mission to combat drug abuse in the Latino community of San Diego, California, by educating families on the dangers of drugs.

* Vlastimil Špalek has taken on the drug culture in his native Czech Republic, the largest producer of crystal meth in Europe.

* Ingrida Lingyte has created a drug prevention movement throughout Colombia to educate youth on the dangers of drugs.

* Barry Paul fights against the culture of drugs and violence that has destroyed many families in his native Kenya.

* Carmen Margro, a former drug addict, now brings hope to entire communities by leading a movement in South Africa to provide information on the devastating effects of drugs.

* Khai Aziz, a legendary punk rock musician in Malaysia uses his celebrity to take on the drug culture and educate at-risk youth throughout his country

Programming also includes Foundation for a Drug-Free World's youth-friendly public service announcements that dispel pro-drug myths about the most commonly abused drugs.

Also airing is the award-winning feature-length Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, "Prevention strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, and communities can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs."

Learn how to use the Truth About Drugs program to save lives. Visit the Scientology Network on International Overdose Awareness Day.

The Scientology Network debuted March 12, 2018. Since launched with a welcome by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, the Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists, showing the Church as a global organization, and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions. The network also showcases documentaries by independent filmmakers who represent a cross-section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities.

Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

MULTIMEDIA:

Photo link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0831s2p-cos-ioad-300dpi.jpg

Caption: A full day of drug prevention programming on the Scientology Network on International Overdose Awareness Day.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, a full day of drug-prevention programming on the Scientology Network provides solutions at the grassroots level. The Church of Scientology International invites parents, educators and civic and community leaders wishing to make a difference about the drug overdose crisis to see how leaders in the field of drug prevention are making an impact on this urgent issue.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Why the Church of Scientology and Scientologists Support Drug Prevention

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- This weekend on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, and throughout the year, the Church of Scientology International and Scientologists help youth make the self-determined decision to live drug-free. Why? Because drug prevention works. And it saves young lives.

After a year marked by soaring drug overdose and drug-related violent crime, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime chose a theme for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, June 26, that resonates with Scientologists who live the motto throughout the year-Share Facts on Drugs: Save Lives.

Scientology Churches provide drug education specialist training, sponsor chapters of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, and work with local educators, police, churches and nonprofits to reach youth on this vital subject.

One teacher who uses the program shared why he recommends the Foundation for a Drug-Free World's Truth About Drugs program to anyone wishing to help kids on this urgent subject. "Exposure to this program could be the one thing that prevents them from traveling the road to addiction."

Another, who has used Drug-Free World materials as part of her curriculum for years, describes them as "a powerful tool to inform students and teachers of the dangers of drug use and abuse."

A police officer told the Foundation, "I teach a course on street drugs and drug-free education as part of my law enforcement/criminal justice program to high school juniors and seniors," and he wants to spread the word and to be listed as a Drug-Free World chapter.

On the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking campaign website, the UN "invites everyone to do their part, by taking a firm stance against misinformation and unreliable sources; while committing to sharing only the real science-backed data on drugs and save lives."

The award-winning Truth About Drugs initiative:

* Is available in 26 languages in 96 countries.

* Its public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary air on 850 TV stations.

* More than 135,000 people have completed the free online drug education eCourse on the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website at www.drugfreeworld.org.

* The Foundation has reached some 13 million students through more than 30,000 schools, institutions and groups that use the Truth About Drugs curriculum.

To make these materials available to anyone wishing to tackle the drug crisis, the Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center in Los Angeles, California, produces and ships out Truth About Drugs booklets, DVDs and education packages free of charge to parents, educators, law enforcement, community groups and nonprofits.

In honor of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Scientology Network featured a full day of drug prevention films and documentaries. Scientology Churches held drug prevention open houses. And Scientologists, working with drug-prevention advocates in their communities, took part in rallies and set up drug information stands to make this vital information broadly available.

The Founder of the Scientology religion is L. Ron Hubbard and Mr. David Miscavige is the religion's ecclesiastical leader.

For more information, visit the Scientology Network or the Scientology Newsroom: https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0628s2p-cos-prev-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: Churches of Scientology and Scientologists support Foundation for a Drug-Free World and promote drug education and prevention in their communities throughout the year.

This weekend on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, and throughout the year, the Church of Scientology International and Scientologists help youth make the self-determined decision to live drug-free. Why? Because drug prevention works. And it saves young lives.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/