Tag Archives: Truth About Drugs program

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.

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

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/

Young UK Scientologists Brave the Storm Clouds To Share the Truth About Drugs Rain or Shine

EAST GRINSTEAD, UK /ScoopCloud/ -- Despite forecasters predicting rain, young Scientologists gathered at Saint Hill in East Grinstead, slipped on their signature teal Foundation for a Drug-Free World T-shirts over hoodies, unfurled their "brollies," and took off for the nearby town of Crawley to share the truth about drugs with local families. They handed out youth-friendly Truth About Drugs booklets to help other kids make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

What has recently come to light is just how important their drug education campaign really is.

Until now, the UK has been spared the ravages of the opioid epidemic that has devastated the United States and Canada. But in December 2023, The Guardian reported that drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales have risen "to the highest level since records began 30 years ago, with nearly half of deaths now involving an opiate."

According to a March 20 news release on the Gov.uk website, the UK government has issued a ban on new synthetic opioids. "We are determined to ensure these destructive and lethal drugs do not take hold in our communities in the UK," said Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp in the article.

But in America, simply banning these drugs has not been enough: Illicit opiates are responsible for the spike in the country's overdose deaths. This is why drug education is a vital part of any drug-prevention strategy.

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 only solution is to educate youth, so they don't start taking drugs in the first place," says Jessica Hochman, Executive Director of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. "Teaching kids the truth about drugs before some dealer or peer tells them lies is what it is all about. We provide resources to do just that, and in language kids listen to. Our purpose is to empower youth with the confidence that they are doing the right thing by living drug-free."

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.

Noting the increase in substance abuse and the role this played in the disintegration of the social fabric in the 1960s and '70s, 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, making it possible to provide these materials free of charge to campaigns like this and to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, 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, visit the Scientology website, the Drug-Free World website, or contact the nearest Church of Scientology, where staff stand ready to help youth and adults make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.drugfreeworld.org/takeaction/reaching-youth-before-drugs-do.html

https://www.scientology.org/churches/advanced-scientology-organizations/advanced-org-saint-hill-united-kingdom/

MULTIMEDIA

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

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/inside-scientology/saint-hill.html

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

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

Despite forecasters predicting rain, young Scientologists gathered at Saint Hill in East Grinstead, slipped on their signature teal Foundation for a Drug-Free World T-shirts over hoodies, unfurled their "brollies," and took off for the nearby town of Crawley to share the truth about drugs with local families. They handed out youth-friendly Truth About Drugs booklets to help other kids make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

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

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO

https://voicesforhumanity.tv

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

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

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/

How Two Humanitarians Are Protecting Millions of Mexican Youth from the Allure of the Cartels

MEXICO CITY, Mexico /ScoopCloud/ -- As we review Scientology accomplishments of the past year, the awarding of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) Freedom Medal always looms large.

Each year, Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige presents this award to persons whose stellar accomplishments have materially advanced the purpose of the IAS: "To protect the Scientology religion and Scientologists in all parts of the world so as to achieve the Aims of Scientology as originated by L. Ron Hubbard:

"A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights."

And none are more deserving than Salomon and Lucy Dabbah - IAS Freedom Medal Winners for 2023.

For more than a decade, these two Scientologists have waged a counter-offensive to save youth from becoming victims of Mexico's drug cartels.

"We could see society decaying and knew we needed to do something," said Lucy. Never simply waiting for someone else to solve things for them, they made drug education and prevention their personal mission. As Salomon put it, "you are the one who makes the change."

They began by enlisting the help of fellow Scientologists to distribute the Foundation for a Drug-Free World's Truth about Drugs booklets in high-traffic locations such as sports events and at popular tourist spots. They organized sending out 180,000 copies of The Truth About Drugs through a catalog mailing by one of Mexico's top health and beauty companies.

Realizing the need to form partnerships to create greater impact, they shared the Drug-Free World booklets and public service announcements with the head of a leading transportation advertising firm, who broadcast these youth-friendly videos three times an hour, 19 hours a day throughout the metro system serving some 5 million people a day. They also reached millions with massive Drug-Free World billboards on underground train platforms and station waiting areas.

The Dabbahs brought the campaign to the regional commander of Mexico's Auxiliary Security Forces, who authorized Truth About Drugs workshops to train more than 2,200 officers on the program. Next, they trained Mexico City school safety police and provided seminars and workshops to more than 4,000 federal police officers. Working with law enforcement the Drug-Free Mexico team distributed nearly 200,000 Truth About Drugs booklets.

But the Dabbahs always believed education was the best solution, so they next focused on bringing the Truth About Drugs into classrooms. They brought the Drug-Free World curriculum to a representative of the Ministry of Education for the State of Mexico, who authorized a pilot training program of 2,400 secondary school teachers. The two-day workshop was the largest Drug-Free World training program ever held.

These teachers have educated more than 2 million students with the Truth About Drugs curriculum. With this and the other training programs the Dabbahs have seen to, some 8,500 teachers now use this program in their classrooms. The Dabbahs are also responsible for placing Truth About Drugs booklets in the hands of some 2.5 million individuals. And the Ministry of Education of the State of Mexico has now mandated the Drug-Free World curriculum to be taught in every school and university in the state.

Foundation for a Drug-Dree 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.

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 Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network, or episodes of Voices for Humanity to see how other humanitarians have adopted the program. Scientology Network is 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.

Contact your nearest Church of Scientology for whatever assistance you need to join the Truth About Drugs movement and help youth and adults make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard and Mr. David Miscavige is the religion's ecclesiastical leader.

LEARN MORE:

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

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://voicesforhumanity.tv

https://www.scientology.org/scientology-today/events/ias-event-2023.html

MULTIMEDIA:

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

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

As we review Scientology accomplishments of the past year, the awarding of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) Freedom Medal always looms large. Each year, Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige presents this award to persons whose stellar accomplishments have materially advanced the purpose of the IAS.

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

Drug-Free Heroes Gala at the Church of Scientology to Honor Those Helping Youth

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- With fentanyl responsible for one in five youth deaths in California, experimenting with drugs is like playing Russian Roulette. That's why the Church of Scientology Los Angeles promotes drug education and prevention. And it is why the Church is hosting the annual Red Ribbon Week Drug-Free Heroes Gala Saturday, October 28, from 5 to 9 p.m.

L.A. County Department of Public Health reported this month that "drug traffickers intentionally add fentanyl to their drugs to reduce costs, to enhance the effect of an existing drug, and/or to make their drugs more addictive." What's more, "an estimated 6 out of every 10 counterfeit pills with fentanyl contains a [potentially] lethal dose." What can be done to protect L.A. youth?

Drug education and prevention is vital if we are serious about saving lives says Jessica Hochman, executive director of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. "The only solution is to educate youth, so they don't start taking drugs in the first place. It's not how to safely take drugs. It is how to empower youth with confidence that they are doing the right thing in not taking drugs period."

The Gala, presented with Strike Out Against Drugs, the Los Angeles chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, New Challenge Ministries and U.i.BEAM, will honor those tackling drug abuse in Los Angeles and acknowledge partnerships that are changing L.A. for the better.

The Church of Scientology is dedicated to eradicating drug abuse through education using The Truth About Drugs campaign of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Prevention works. 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."

Drug prevention heroes who use The Truth About Drugs campaign are featured in the original TV series Voices for Humanity, produced by Scientology Media Production and airing on the Scientology Network.

One of the nonprofits co-organizing this weekend's Drug-Free Heroes Gala is Strike Out Against Drugs whose founder's downward trajectory into addiction began at age 9 when a neighbor offered him marijuana. In his episode of Voices for Humanity, David Sanchez says, "Most of the people that I grew up with are either dead or in prison." He formed his nonprofit to reach kids with the truth about drugs, because "Knowing about something that could hurt you is half the battle in being able to defeat it."

The Church of Scientology Los Angeles is an Ideal Scientology Church, serving Scientologists in their ascent to spiritual freedom and a home for the entire community-a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift people of all denominations. It was dedicated by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige in 2010.

For more information on the Church, its services and community outreach, visit the Church of Scientology Los Angeles website or watch Inside a Church of Scientology on the Scientology Network.

Satisfying the curiosity of people about the Scientology religion and Founder L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology Network is 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.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientology-losangeles.org

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.scientology.tv/series/inside-scientology/inside-a-church.html

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

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/inside-scientology/inside-a-church.html

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95biwRmra1k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0xMnowNCYo

With fentanyl responsible for one in five youth deaths in California, experimenting with drugs is like playing Russian Roulette. That's why the Church of Scientology Los Angeles promotes drug education and prevention. And it is why the Church is hosting the annual Red Ribbon Week Drug-Free Heroes Gala Saturday, October 28, from 5 to 9 p.m.

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

Danish Volunteers Say Learning About Drug Abuse Can Save Your Life

COPENHAGEN, Denmark /ScoopCloud/ -- Volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Denmark share the Truth About Drugs, raising awareness on the danger of drugs including overdose, the subject of International Drug Overdose Awareness Day, August 31.

Passionate about helping youth avoid the tragedy of drug abuse and addiction and the growing crisis of overdose deaths, Scientologists of Copenhagen take action with drug prevention.

For example, volunteers from the Church of Scientology Denmark brought their Truth About Drugs initiative to the kick-off of this year's Tour de France in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Through his research into the mind, spirit and life, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard found drugs to be "the single most destructive element present in our current culture." And to take effective action against the damage of drugs to the individual and society, the Church of Scientology of Denmark sponsors a chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

Using the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative, volunteers educate youth and adults on what drugs are and what they do.

So earlier this summer, when the Tour de France held its initial stage or "Grand Départ" in Copenhagen, volunteers in their signature teal Truth About Drugs T-shirts joined fans gathered to give a send-off to the team, whose Jonas Vingegaard brought home the yellow jersey of the Tour's overall champion-the first Dane to achieve this honor since 1996.

Copenhagen is known as the world's most bicycle-friendly city, and the anti-drug cyclists from the Church of Scientology were perfectly at home with their banner and booklets, riding through the city to promote the truth about drugs.

Drug prevention has long been recognized as a vital service to communities, but never more than now, in light of drug overdose trends. 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." And the Office urges communities to "support drug abuse prevention based on scientific evidence as an investment in the wellbeing of children, adolescents, youth, families and communities."

The Church of Scientology Denmark is an Ideal Scientology Organization, dedicated in May 2017 by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige. It 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.

The Church of Scientology Denmark is featured in an episode of Destination Scientology on the Scientology Network, which is available at DIRECTV channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, through 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://en.scientology-denmark.org/

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VIDEO: https://youtu.be/SFaNBezJPc8

Volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Denmark share the Truth About Drugs, raising awareness on the danger of drugs including overdose, the subject of International Drug Overdose Awareness Day, August 31.

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/

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/

How the Need to Reach Youth with the Truth About Drugs Inspires a Movement

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Misinformation and ignorance open the door to abuse and addiction according to the United Nations World Drug Report. A drug prevention champion featured on Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network safeguards youth of the Czech Republic with the Truth About Drugs, an initiative supported by Scientologists and the Church of Scientology International.

This year's World Drug Report emphasizes the urgency of reaching youth with the truth about drugs. This is what drives the outreach of the Czech chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World whose work is featured on the Scientology Network on DIRECTV channel 320, streaming at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

The report found that over the past 24 years, while cannabis potency "increased by as much as four times in parts of the world...the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40 percent." In releasing the annual report, Ghada Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, wrote of the crucial role of drug education:

"Lower perception of drug use risks has been linked to higher rates of drug use, and the findings of UNODC's 2021 World Drug Report highlight the need to close the gap between perception and reality to educate young people and safeguard public health."

This is borne out by the annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction Report that states "not only is a wider variety of people now personally experiencing drug problems, but drug problems are impacting on our communities in a wider variety of ways."

In an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network, Vlastimil Špalek, chairman of the Czech Foundation for a Drug-Free World, says "What drives me and my team is one purpose: A drug-free Czech Republic."

Špalek adopted The Truth About Drugs initiative because it works. He saw that when youth read the Truth About Drugs booklets on the 14 most commonly abused drugs, it empowers them with what they need to make the firm, self-determined decision to live drug-free.

An athlete, Špalek turned his love of sports into a way to reach the youth of his country with the annual Czech "Cyclo-Run" Against Drugs. Drug prevention advocates cycle from city to city where they are joined by crowds of school children and sports enthusiasts who run with them through the town, promoting drug-free living. Wherever they go, athletes deliver drug education lectures and meet with officials to urge their adoption of the campaign.

Although the pandemic cut across the Cyclo-Run for the past two years, planning is underway to relaunch it in 2022. Meantime, volunteers carry on with activities. Špalek and his team of drug educators give drug-prevention lectures in schools and volunteers reach out to families in their cities with Truth About Drugs booklets. In the town of Pilsen, a team of moms has adopted the program and shares booklets with parents and children to provide this vital information.

"I knew this program had the potential of saving countless lives," says Špalek in his Voices for Humanity episode. "It has. And that's why I've never given up my fight against drugs."

Drug education and prevention work. The United Nations 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."

To enable anyone to take effective action against drug abuse and addiction, Scientology Churches schedule drug prevention open houses where anyone may learn how to use this campaign, receive booklets and videos, and request training on how to deliver the program.

The Church of Scientology provides Truth About Drugs resources free of charge to educators, parents, school resource officers, nonprofits and community leaders.

The Truth About Drugs initiative

* Is available in 20 languages in 96 countries.

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

* More than 395,000 people have enrolled on 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.

In his research into the devastating impact of drugs on society, author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs." This galvanized the Church and Scientologists to initiate the Truth About Drugs, a secular program through which they have worked for two decades to empower millions with the truth about drugs.

To learn more about Vlastimil Špalek and the Foundation for a Drug-Free Czech Republic, watch Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network. For more information on the Truth About Drugs initiative, visit the website of Foundation for a Drug-Free World or contact your nearest Scientology Church or Mission.

LEARN MORE:

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

https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/news/2021/2/lessons-to-be-learnt-from-the-european-drug-report-2021_en

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

Misinformation and ignorance open the door to abuse and addiction according to the United Nations World Drug Report. A drug prevention champion featured on Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network safeguards youth of the Czech Republic with the Truth About Drugs, an initiative supported by Scientologists and the Church of Scientology International.

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/