Church of Scientology Sacramento Helps Launch Interfaith Coalition

Scientology helps forge a partnership between religious leaders and law enforcement to combine forces against substance abuse and other pressing community concerns

Religious leaders well know the toll drug abuse exacts on Sacramento families as represented by these statistics:

• Of all males arrested in Sacramento last year, 81 percent tested positive for drugs—20 percent greater than the national average.
• According to the 2011 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Annual Report (ADAM II), Sacramento has a higher percentage—56 percent— of marijuana use than the national average. And Sacramento has experienced the greatest proportional increase of marijuana use in the country—an increase of 10 percent over 2009. 
• One of every 80 babies born in the region is affected in some way by maternal drug use. 
• The Sacramento County Coroner reported 95 deaths caused by drug toxicity in 2011, compared with 15 in 2007.

To make inroads against these and other related problems, the Church of Scientology of Sacramento hosted two programs in December providing members of the Sacramento religious community with effective tools to contend with drugs and drug abuse, and helping to establish partnerships among religious leaders and Sacramento law enforcement.

First was a drug education and prevention workshop featuring the Truth About Drugs drug education and prevention program supported by the Church of Scientology.  Religious leaders from a dozen faiths, including Sikh, Catholic, Apostolic Christian and Baptist, attended a drug education lecture in the Chapel of the Church of Scientology. They were walked through the Truth About Drugs Educator’s Guide and received copies of The Truth About Drugs Education Package including lesson plans and copies of the booklets and videos that comprise the program.

After the lecture, many of those attending were eager to share the Truth About Drugs program with their congregations.  One minister said the workshop enabled him to better serve his parish by giving him more understanding of the effects of drugs.  Another, who is very familiar with the devastation of substance abuse through his work as chaplain at a local university medical center, was encouraged to see so many diverse faiths working together to address this urgent issue.

The following day, 22 religious leaders attended a meeting at the Church of Scientology to lay the groundwork for creating a police department interfaith advisory board that will plan and coordinate activities on issues affecting the community.  

“We are very pleased to be able to host programs of such importance to the community,” said Mike Klagenberg, Public Affairs Director of the Church of Scientology of Sacramento, which dedicated its new Church at 1007 6th Street on January 28, 2012. “Our Church is here as a resource for the entire community and we invite nonprofit and religious groups to make use of our chapel and conference rooms for programs and activities like these that benefit Sacramento.”

The Church of Scientology has published a new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—The Truth About Drugs, Creating a Drug-Free World, to meet requests for more information about the drug education and prevention initiative it supports. To learn more or to read a copy of the brochure, visit scientology.org/antidrug.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances. These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”

The Church of Scientology supports the Truth About Drugs, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. 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.