Scientology Volunteers Attack Drug Abuse in Sydney

Scientology youth attack drug abuse at 26th annual Glebe Street Fair.

Members of the Church of Scientology of Sydney, Australia, who belong to the Drug-Free Ambassadors were out in force Sunday, November 15, distributing thousands of fliers at the 26th annual Glebe Street Fair. Their purpose: to inform kids about drug abuse and the truth about drugs so they make informed decisions to stay drug free.

Concerned about a new drug called Mephedrone, or “MM-Cat,” that Sydney students and club goers buy over the Internet, the Drug-Free Ambassadors spent the day talking to kids and teens, swearing them in as Drug-Free Ambassadors. New Drug-Free Ambassadors take a pledge to be drug free and to help their family and friends do the same.

“The drug-free message is really important to get out in times like these,” said Drug-Free Ambassadors spokesperson Cyrus Brooks. “People are bombarded with bad news in the media and they look for escape, especially young people. Unfortunately there is a lot of false propaganda around that drugs and alcohol provide that escape. We need to attack these lies as it’s just not true.”

Brooks and his Drug-Free Ambassador team inform youth of the short-term effects of drugs such as Mephedrone and Ecstasy, which include paranoia and depression, and that users risk even more serious long-term effects such as kidney failure and cardiovascular collapse.

Cocaine, another popular “party drug,” has similar effects but can also cause tactile hallucination, with some kids talking about having the sensation of bugs burrowing into their skin. This drug can also cause reproductive damage and infertility. “Drugs like these ruin lives,” says Brooks. “The best solution is to not get caught in the drug trap in the first place.”

At the Glebe Street Fair the Drug-Free Ambassadors distributed a brochure explaining what drugs are, how they destroy creativity and why drugs don’t actually bring happiness, but quite the opposite. Dixon Restaurant in Chinatown and the Church of Scientology of Australia funded the printing of the brochure, which is being translated into Chinese and Korean to get the word out to Sydney’s Asian population too.

Drug-Free Ambassadors, founded by the Church of Scientology in 1993, helps communities all over Australia fight the scourge of drugs. For more information on the Drug-Free Ambassadors of Sydney visit their web site at www.drugfreeambassadors.com.au.

Scientology Back Anti-Drug Initiative

For more than 20 years Scientologists have been working in their communities to help people avoid the tragedy of drug addiction and help people who are addicted come off drugs.

The drug education and prevention program they sponsor is "Say No to Drugs--Say Yes to Life."

On any given day, Scientologists can be found in their communities distributing booklets that give the facts about drug use. Now there is a documentary called "Real People, Real Stories" that is a total tour de force. Any kid watching this would have to think twice before experimenting with a drug, alcohol, sniffing or even using "recreational" prescription meds.

Last summer, David Miscavige announced this documentary. It is terrifically powerful.

If you know someone who is contemplating using drugs, direct them to the web site of the Foundation for a Drug Free world and have them watch it. Save them making on of the worst mistakes of their life.

Drug-Free Marshals of Los Angeles Promote Red Ribbon Anti-Drug Week

Scientology-sponsored group helps hundreds of Los Angeles youth commit to living drug-free lives in commemoration of Red Ribbon Week 2009.

The Drug-Free Marshals chapter sponsored by the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles swore in hundreds of youth to live drug-free lives at a ceremony Saturday in honor of the 21st anniversary of Red Ribbon Week.

Red Ribbon Week honors the life of DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena whose death in 1985 was a wakeup call to the dangers of drugs and the drug trade. Camarena, an 11-year DEA agent working undercover in Mexico, was on the way to breaking up a multibillion-dollar drug pipeline when he was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by Mexican drug traffickers.

In 1988, the National Family Partnership sponsored the first National Red Ribbon Week, with President and Mrs. Reagan its honorary chairpersons. Community groups, schools and churches hold yearly events to commemorate Camarena’s work and rally support for drug education and prevention.

The Drug-Free Marshals takes its name from the U.S. marshals, a force for good popularized in novels and movies about the American West. The program was founded by the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles in 1993. Since then the program has helped more than 3 million youth worldwide pledge to be drug-free.

The Los Angeles Drug-Free Marshals and their parents “armed” themselves with booklets published by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World that provide information on the most commonly used drugs, such as marijuana, alcohol, heroin, crystal meth, prescription drugs, inhalants and painkillers.

“We need to educate our children about drug and alcohol abuse. Our children are constantly exposed to drugs at school, on television, and in movies, so if we don’t tell them the truth, you can be sure that the drug-dealers will tell them lies. By early intervention we can prevent drug abuse, which also leads to violence,” said Edie Reuveni, President of the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles. “Studies show a direct link between youth involvement in drugs and gang violence. Humanitarian, L. Ron Hubbard said, ‘When children become unimportant to a society, that society has forfeited its future.’ Unless we educate our children and take responsibility for them, we all lose.”

For more information about the drug education and prevention programs sponsored by the Church of Scientology visit www.scientology.org.

Anti-Drug Documentaries

I was blown away by the anti-drug documentary I saw a few weeks ago at the IAS event. (IAS is the International Association of Scientologists and every summer David Miscavige gives a mid-year report on what the IAS in sponsoring).

They are online now too. Check it out here.

Scientology Program Promotes Personal Freedom for Pakistani Youth

Freedom from drugs is the theme with 50 youth sworn in as Drug-Free Marshals at the Pakistani Independence Day celebration in Brussels.

The Church of Scientology International European Public Affairs Office partnered with the Pakistan Businessmen Forum of Belgium and the Institute for Peace and Development to help 50 Pakistani youth commit to live drug-free lives at this week’s celebration of the 62nd anniversary of Pakistani independence held in the Belgian capital.

More than 600 members of the Belgian Pakistani community looked on while the young people were sworn in as Drug-Free Marshals, taking an oath in the Urdu language to live drug-free lives and help their friends and families do the same.

The Church of Scientology’s presentation of its anti-drug campaign to the Belgian Pakistani community, including three short video clips that raised awareness of the devastating effects of marijuana, alcohol, and heroin, could not have been more timely. It addressed the very issue raised by last Tuesday’s announcement by Pakistan’s Ministry for Narcotics Control that there are an estimated 620,800 drug addicts in Pakistan, 77% of them heroin users.

In October 1947, just months after Pakistan gained its independence, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, first Governor-General of Pakistan, said, “My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.” Today, one of those issues is drug abuse and addiction.

“In today’s world, independence means more than political sovereignty,” said Marc Bromberg, managing director of the European Public Affairs Office of the Church of Scientology International. “Freedom from drug abuse and addiction is a significant aspect of an independent life.”

For more information on the anti-drug programs of the Church of Scientology visit the Scientology web site.

Scientology in Taiwan Spreading the Word on the Truth about Drugs

Recently awarded for their work in combating drug abuse and addiction, the Church of Scientology continues its work to provide the truth about drugs

The Church of Scientology of Taiwan is not content to have received the Ministry of Interior’s annual Excellent Religious Group Award for the sixth time. On the contrary, this award has merely served to inspire young Scientologists to work faster and help their country.

Dedicated to helping the next generation avoid the tragedy of drug abuse and addiction, over the past year alone the Church of Scientology conducted 99 drug education events in Taiwan and distributed 45,150 anti-drug booklets.

Young Scientologists take to the streets during peak traffic, and distribute copies of The Truth about Drugs series of drug education booklets. They know that when young people know the truth about drugs they will make the right choice to stay drug free.

L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, warned, “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances.” The Church of Scientology of Taiwan is committed to reversing this trend and making Taiwan the first drug-free country.

For more information on the Drug education activities of the Church of Scientology, visit the Scientology web site.

Scientology Church Supports Anti-Drug March

Youth from the Church of Scientology of Pasadena join anti-drug march to educate their peers on drug abuse and addiction

Sunland/Tujunga - Members of the Church of Scientology of Pasadena were among hundreds of youths who participated in an Anti-Drug March from Bolton Hall in Tujunga to Sunland Park. With the help of the Sunland Tujunga Rotary Club, and supported by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, students from the Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga and the Delphi Academy in Lake View Terrace organized this walk and a festival to educate teenagers about the dangers of drugs.

“We knew we wanted to do something to tell people about drugs, and at first we thought of just doing talks in different classes at school. That would be good, but we wanted to do something bigger, to help the whole community. That’s how we decided on the walk,” said Krista Baysdorpher from Delphi Academy.

According to Eden Stein, President of the Church of Scientology of Pasadena, “L. Ron Hubbard wrote ‘Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs.’ Drugs are a serious problem here in Southern California, and we are committed to helping young people stay out of this trap.”

The statistics on drug use among youth is particularly alarming. From a survey done by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 50 percent of public school students in the United States have tried an illicit drug by the time they are 17 years old. To do something effective about this, the Foundation published booklets that provide information about the harmful and sometimes deadly consequences of the most popular drugs. During the recent anti-drug march, hundreds of these booklets were distributed, arming youth with the information they need to say “No” to drugs.