German Scientologists Foster Summer Drug Prevention Initiatives

Volunteers from German Churches and Missions, in partnership with civic and community groups and drug prevention activists in their cities, reach youth throughout the country with the Truth About Drugs

Dedicated to shielding youth in their country from the harmful effects of drug abuse and addiction, German Scientologists took full advantage of the summer months to get out the truth about drugs throughout the country.

They handed out thousands of copies of
The Truth About Drugs to Harley enthusiasts

The pressing need for effective drug education became even more critical this year with the announcement that drug-related deaths in Germany spiked in 2014. The good news according to this year’s World Drug Report is the number of past-year users of opiates declined by almost one third in the decade between 2003 and 2012. Those arrested in Germany for the first time for heroin use fell by more than half in those same years. But so-called legal highs (NSPs—New Psychoactive Substances) and meth are on the rise, resulting in a 3 percent increase in fatalities.

Say No to Drugs volunteers took advantage of the annual Hamburg Harley Days June 24 – 26, when some 50,000 bikers and thousands of curious sightseers took over the center of Hamburg. They set up their booth and handed out thousands of copies of The Truth About Drugs to Harley enthusiasts and those who joined them for contests, concerts and the Sunday afternoon’s finale—the Harley parade.

 

 

 

Downsizing from 800 pound 1500cc motorbikes to 25 lb bicycles, the Say No to Drugs volunteers carried out a week-long Anti-Drug Bicycle Crusade—touring through six major cities from Munich to Berlin accompanied by a BMX champion. Along they way, they staged street events and concerts, holding drug education lectures in schools attended by hundreds of children. The tour culminated in a Drug Prevention forum and open house at the Church of Scientology Berlin.

Week after week throughout the summer, volunteers handed out tens of thousands of copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets and placed thousands more in shops for customers to take.

And while the summer is nearly over, these volunteers continue their work to bring about a drug-free Germany.