For a Drug-Free World in South Africa

Published in: The Herald, http://www.peherald.com/

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY URGES COMMUNITY COUNTER-ATTACK AGAINST DRUGS

Scientology Churches worldwide participate in United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking.

Scientology Churches worldwide participate in United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking.

The Church of Scientology International is directing its Churches and Missions in 165 countries to join forces with the United Nations on June 26, to raise awareness of drug abuse. The International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking is based on UN General Assembly resolution 42/112 passed in 1987 to strengthen action and cooperation in eliminating drug abuse.

Scientology officials are asking members, neighbors, youth groups, officials and community organizations to first educate themselves about drugs and then pass on the information. Through its community anti-drug outreach program, beginning in 1995 the Church developed pocketsize youth-friendly educational booklets on commonly abused drugs. Published by Foundation for a Drug-Free World since 2006 with the support and participation of Church volunteers and community alliances, millions of the booklets have been distributed in 20 languages.

"Ask any drug addict and he will tell you he never planned to become addicted and if he had understood the consequences of drugs, he never would have tried drugs in the first place," said Rev. Bob Adams of the Church of Scientology International.

Community action against drug abuse is also positive gain for civic leaders struggling with dwindling budgets for drug prevention programs. Once common drug prevention services from the DEA, FBI and even law enforcement programs such as D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) are being shaved and in many areas cut entirely.

Staggering figures of disease and death from drug use have been around for years, but the specific harm to individuals, families and society in terms of crime, health costs and productivity losses are harder to find. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, teens and young adults are particularly at risk, with drug use more than twice as high as among the general population. The UNODC says this is due to peer pressure to experiment and that people taking drugs tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved.

"Our community drug-education program has been in very heavy demand since its inception," said Rev. Adams. "Widespread drug education is the most effective weapon in the war on drugs and doing it is saving lives."

To obtain free drug education booklets, contact your nearest Church of Scientology or email info@drugfreeworld.org.

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST: LIVING THE CREATIVE LIFE—PAINTER PAMELA HOLL HUNT

Drugs robbed her of her creativity. Scientology gave it back to her.

The exuberant canvases of abstract expressionist Pamela Holl Hunt are a key to her personality.

Born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, in 1945, Pam received classical training in the 1960s and 70s in Paris, London and Brussels. But, swept up in the drug culture of the era, she nearly lost the very thing she thought drugs would provide.

“Drugs completely destroyed my creativity,” she says. “It is very ironic, because in the beginning they seemed to give me a surge. But in the end I lost the attitude of ‘What can I create?’ I kept taking more because I hoped that surge would come back. It never did. They took the love of life and painting out of me. It was just a trap.”

Pam met future husband Philip when she was studying painting in Brussels. In 1975, to distance themselves from the drug scene, they moved to Canada.

“We drove cross-country from Ontario to British Columbia. In Vancouver we saw a sign offering a personality test at the Scientology Mission,” she says. “I remember it was raining, and we were drenched. We walked up to the door and I saw something so welcoming in the eyes of the man who opened it, I instantly felt like I had come home. I was always very spiritual. I had been looking for something without really knowing what I was looking for. I was so glad I was able to recognize it when I found it.”

With Scientology, she not only strengthened her decision to stay away from drugs, she also rehabilitated her interest in the world around her.

“I got back all the reasons for living that I lost along the way,” she says.

Pam and Philip married in 1976 and continued their studies in Scientology. They raised two sons, now 33 and 34, and have three grandchildren—two girls and a boy.

“We never shoved our beliefs down our boys’ throats, but we lived by the principles of Scientology,” says Pam. “When one of my sons was six he came home from a friend’s house and asked me why we were so different from his friend’s family. I asked him ‘In what way?’ He said at his friend’s they were always arguing. I told him we used what we learned in Scientology—that’s why it’s calm and peaceful in our home.”

Hunt talks, paints and lives her life with a youthful energy and enthusiasm. She loves her family, her friends, animals (especially her two cats), meeting new people, and being an artist.

“Artists create out of love,” says Hunt, “and I’m so glad I got my love of life and creativity back.”

Watch Pamela’s video on Scientology.org.

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Meet a Scientologist: BRITISH THAI BOXING CHAMP MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Nearly dying of alcohol and drug abuse when he was 21, Thai boxing champion Pete Dwan today helps kids lead drug-free lives. His profile is one of 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website at www.Scientology.org.

Twenty-five years ago Pete Dwan nearly died of alcohol and drug abuse. Now he is dedicated to helping kids decide to live drug-free.

In his video on www.Scientology.org, filmed in his boxing studio, the tattooed Manchester native tells how Scientology changed his life.

“Since I started doing Scientology I’ve got lots of interests I didn’t have before,” he says. “I’ve actually started up my own club, I’ve started up my own business, bought my own house—life got better.”

Part of this change is a program he runs called “The Kombat Kids.” Dwan, who won the British Thai Boxing title 13 years ago and has represented England in international competitions, teaches kick boxing to kids of the ages of seven to twelve in inner city youth centers and housing associations to help them gain self-confidence and a sense of discipline.

To provide them with a guideline for making positive choices in their lives, Dwan uses The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard, a modern, non-religious, commonsense moral code. He has also delivered drug awareness workshops to more than 30,000 young people in schools and colleges.

“I know what it means to have a problem with drugs,” says Dwan. “I was only 21 when my liver stopped working and I almost died. I tell them my story. They can see I know what I’m talking about.”

Dwan says that since he became a Scientologist eight years ago, the training and spiritual counseling has made an enormous difference in his life.

Dwan, 46, credits Scientology for the energetic enthusiasm he feels about the future.

“It’s fun, man,” he says. “You know, 99 percent of the time I’m smiling. And it’s only because of Scientology.”

View the Pete Dwan video on www.Scientology.org.

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

New Drug Free World Site

The Drug Free World site has a new section that is a standard HTML site, non-flash.

All the Public Service Announcements are there, and the documentary--Real People/Real Stories. Very hard hitting and compelling and the best thing you could show a friend, brother, sister, kid or even parent to help them decide to do something about their substance abuse (or help them keep from getting into the trap in the first place).

A lot of people deny they have a problem. So many people do drugs and it such a part of our culture that they can get away with it until they hit the point they no longer can... then it's too late. Best is to help them take stock now when they still can. That's why these ads and documentary are so awesome. Not preachy. Just factual and presented with high impact.

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Once isn't enough

Are they still telling kids "one hit won't hurt?"

What a way to pressure someone into trying drugs. This is a great public service announcement to dispel that myth.



Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Scientologists Gear Up for United Nations Day Against Drugs

Churches of Scientology around the world will host community drug education activities June 26 in recognition of the United Nations International Day Against Illicit Drugs and Trafficking. Steadfast drug education advocates for more than 20 years, Scientology Churches are inviting local police, officials, community leaders, parents and teens to toughen up their neighborhoods with youth-oriented drug education activities for both young and old.

“To bring about real demand reduction, people need facts they know are real and that’s been missing from most drug education programs,” says Rev. Bob Adams, spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International and a former National Football League player. “To resist a drug pusher, a peer or anyone else encouraging drug abuse, one’s knowledge about drugs has to be certain and firm.”

The Church’s community drug education programs have been conducted at a grass-roots level by both Scientologists and non-Scientologists since the mid-1980s. Adams says toughening up neighborhoods against drugs benefits everybody. “Today we are all affected by drug abuse in some way or another and it’s not just illegal street drugs and youth. Prescription drug abuse is also a huge problem. All of it directly relates to health, crime, and safety, and things people don’t immediately think of in relation to drugs, like success and economics. The truth is that today, if you’re not well educated about drugs, you are at risk.”

In addition to its anti-drug advocacy and community activation, the Church sponsors the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the international provider of The Truth About Drugs education materials available in 20 languages. Based on authoritative surveys and studies, The Truth About Drugs series includes abundant first hand testimonials in a youth-friendly format: 13 pocket-sized booklets and short videos covering the most commonly abused drugs, a new documentary based on interviews with over 200 former addicts, which can be seen and ordered free, at www.drugfreeworld.org.

“The Truth About Drugs Documentary and booklets are upfront, poignant and real,” says Adams. “They empower youth, parents, educators, law enforcement, social workers and anyone else concerned because it’s not about scare tactics—it’s true life experiences with facts.”

The United Nations International Day Against Illicit Drugs and Trafficking was established in 1987 by UN resolution 42/112 to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving an international society free of drug abuse.

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Scientology supports anti-drug campaign

From the Scientology web site:


Sixteen public service announcements (PSAs) form a centerpiece of the award-winning public information campaign entitled "The Truth About Drugs." Each of these emotional and action-packed PSAs present real-life scenarios and facts in a penetrating way. Armed with the facts, youth can then make their own decision to steer away from drugs.

Produced by the Church of Scientology and distributed by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the PSAs now air worldwide to tens of millions in more than a dozen languages—on television, in sports arenas, night clubs, shopping malls, churches and schools.


Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Scientology Anti-Drug Campaign

To combat this epidemic, the Church of Scientology sponsors the largest nongovernmental anti-drug information and prevention campaign on Earth. It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately. By statistical survey, the Drug-Free World Campaign has thus far prevented some 500,000 young people from recreational drug use…or worse.

Every 12 seconds another school-age child experiments with illicit drugs for the first time—a grim reminder of just how pervasive drug abuse is among young people.



Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Scientology Sponsors Great Anti-Drug Program

The Drug-Free Marshals is a very effective program for kids. It's been adopted by community groups and clubs and schools. It's totally non-denominational and helps proof kids up against getting onto drugs to begin with. The Scient

Publish Post

ology Today web site carries news on this, like an event held a couple of weeks ago in Hollywood. When kids make decisions to steer clear of drugs it makes it easier to resist the pressure to abuse when that starts to hit a little later on.

There is also an excellent section of the Scientology Handbook with information on drugs and how to help someone withdraw from drugs.

Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Scientology Anti-Drug Initiative

The new Scientology site has all 16 public service announcements on the "The Truth About Drugs."

If you have a kid you suspect may be experimenting with drugs I really recommend having them watch them. They have enough impact to get your kid to think about it again.

Produced by the Church of Scientology and distributed by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the PSAs now air worldwide to tens of millions in more than a dozen languages—on television, in sports arenas, night clubs, shopping malls, churches and schools.


Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Think your kid is on drugs?

If you are concerned your kids may be experimenting with drugs, or that they are hanging out with a pro-drug crowd and want to do something effective about it, there is a brilliant documentary online at the Scientology web site.

It's called Real Stories--Real People and it shows kids and adults who have been there/done that. They tell how they got duped into taking various drugs and what happened to them, their families, their jobs, their education, their health--their lives. It is fairly shocking, but I'll tell you, after you watch one of these segments (there is a separate section for each of the major drugs of choice) you just wouldn't touch the drugs. No kidding.

If kids watch this, they can make up their own minds whether they want to try the drugs out or not. From talking to kids who have watched these documentaries they are seriously effective.http://www.scientology.org/activity/anti-drug/antidrug-documentaries.html


Drug-Free World - supported by the Church of Scientology.

Anti-Drug Public Service Announcements

If you haven't seen the anti-drug public service announcements on the Scientology site it's really worth taking a look. They are really aimed at kids who have not yet crossed over to being pro-drug, and have questions or at least are willing to find out. And they are very hard hitting and really get the point across. But they aren't just scare tactics. They give a real (but very fast) understanding of the subject. I highly recommend them.

ANTI-DRUG: A DRUG EDUCATION AND PREVENTION CAMPAIGN ON A GLOBAL SCALE

Every 12 seconds another school-age child experiments with illicit drugs for the first time—a grim reminder of just how pervasive drug abuse is among young people.

To combat this epidemic, the Church of Scientology sponsors the largest nongovernmental anti-drug information and prevention campaign on Earth. It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately. By statistical survey, the Drug-Free World Campaign has thus far prevented some 500,000 young people from recreational drug use…or worse.

There is still, however, much more to be done. Thus, the Church of Scientology offers its publications (which neither contain nor advocate any Scientology beliefs) to like-minded anti-drug coalitions, government institutions, civic groups and schools. These materials include The Truth About Drugs series of 13 educational booklets—covering the major “drugs of choice” and presented in a straightforward manner to educate young people on their actual effects.

There is also a study guide, activities manual and an educator’s classroom kit. These provide teachers, law enforcement and community groups with effective tools to educate youth and enable them to make correct decisions about drugs.

Finally, there is the newly released 90-minute documentary to accompany and complement The Truth About Drugs series of booklets. Each film chapter offers an in-depth look at an individual drug, as told by those who survived addiction.

In all, the Drug-Free World Campaign represents an enormous stride toward raising a generation who will remain free from the ravages of drug abuse.

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.

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.