The Foundation for a Drug-Free World has launched a massive attack on drugs with a mailing of over 80,000 anti-drug information packages and billboards in major cities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Hungary and Japan. Geared towards reaching every level of society, the new anti-drug ammunition will land with educators, law enforcement, health professionals, and private and public substance abuse prevention and treatment centers and agencies. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates the annual cost of drug abuse in America at $180.9 billion.
“Our objective is to equip those most in need of effective tools and to head off drug experimentation and abuse before it sets in and destroys lives,” said Pascal Cottier, a director of the Foundation. “When youth are empowered with knowledge of what drugs are and do, they will make informed, intelligent decisions about them.”
A newly released Back to School survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that 11 million American high school students (80 percent) and five million middle school students (44 percent) have personally witnessed illegal drug use, dealing, possession, or students drunk or high at school. Studies also suggest that if a young person reaches the age of 21 without using illicit drugs, they are unlikely ever to do so. “Drug abuse can be avoided by reaching youth early enough with what they need to know, so they will not be mislead or fooled into doing drugs,” said Cottier.
Funded by private grants, the Foundation’s mailing provides a drug education kit that includes a drug-education guide together with a “The Truth About Drugs” booklet series featuring commonly abused drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamine, painkillers (oxycodone, etc.), prescription stimulants, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, LSD and Ecstasy. The kit can be ordered online at www.drugfreeworld.org and the Foundation also encourages sponsored reprints of the booklets for schools, community groups, law enforcement agencies, etc.
“Drugs are so out of control that combating them demands people get informed and be smart about drugs,” said Cottier. “That means not only potential abusers, but parents, educators, law enforcement officials and politicians as well. Drugs are a gigantic problem that demands we all work together to beat it.”
The Foundation for a Drug-Free World was established in October 2006 to meet the growing demand for the Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life drug education materials, which were developed and refined out of more than 20 years of community drug prevention activities conducted by members of Scientology churches in collaboration with the interfaith community, volunteer organizations, education institutions and government agencies.
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