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he Church of Scientology battles the staggering problem of drugs in Germany and throughout the world by means of effective programs to educate people on the dangers of drugs and to encourage them to say “No” to drugs.
While it may not be reported in the media, it is a fact that all Scientologists are drug-free. This explains why members of the Church engage in such a broad range of actions to help others avoid drugs and to assist addicts in overcoming drug problems.
In Southern Germany, the Church’s activities include anti-drug events, information stands where free publications on drugs’ harmful effects are distributed, lectures in schools about the dangers of drugs, and broad publication of literature for children which presents an anti-drug message.
In Hamburg, Scientologists regularly provide nutritious soup to drug addicts who otherwise might go without food. As one of the groups in the city to offer help of this kind, the Church also distributes information about the dangers of drugs to addicts and others in the community.
In recent years, thousands of citizens from across Germany have joined the Church in its “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life” campaign by signing public pledges to live drug-free.
The effective anti-drug work of Scientologists extends to communities all around the world. And the Church and its staff have earned many awards for their selfless work.
Scientologists have been promoting the “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life” theme since 1986, with campaigns in Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Italy, the United Kingdom and other lands.
In Italy, the Churches of Scientology in many cities have organized numerous “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life” events in which Scientologists pick up and dispose of used syringes discarded by drug addicts in local parks. Volunteers at these events collect hundreds of syringes, thereby eliminating a serious health hazard to children who play in the parks.
Government officials in Turin, Padua, Milan and other cities have assisted by providing equipment for use during the syringe pickups. And local and national news media regularly report on these community betterment activities.
Scientologists in Scandinavia are no less active. In Sweden, for example, parishioners of all ages, carrying banners and placards, regularly conduct “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life” marches down major thoroughfares to raise public awareness of the issue.
Youth Drug Education
In the United States, members of the Church of Scientology, seeing that increases of violence and crime in communities go hand in hand with drug abuse, and that drug abuse starts at very young ages, launched the “Drug-Free Marshals” campaign.
The heart of the program consists of “swearing in” young people who pledge to be drug-free. The young Marshals in turn swear in others, and encourage their friends and family members to become or to remain drug-free. They take responsibility for themselves and others, and for creating their own future without drugs.
The Drug-Free Marshals program began in Los Angeles when more than 200 children were sworn in as Marshals by a senior official of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. From that day, a grass-roots campaign of children and adults has sprung up across the United States. Many thousands of people have since joined what is now a rapidly growing international movement.
In France, this group is known as the Ambassadors for a World Without Drugs. Thousands of children and teen-agers have become members since the popular campaign started there. Many children have invited their friends to be part of the group. Others have visited police chiefs or city council members in their areas to tell them about the campaign and to let them know of their activities. Spokespersons for the campaign are regular radio show guests and appear on national television to speak out against the harmful effects of drugs.
In these and many other ways, Scientologists are helping to pave the way to a brighter future, free from the devastation wrought by drugs.
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