French and Belgian Scientologists Cycle for Drug Education
With recent European financial cutbacks threatening to impact drug prevention in Europe, Scientologists found a creative way to effectively draw attention to the dangers of abuse
To promote drug education, Scientologists from France and Belgium joined forces in June 2012 in a transnational bicycle race in observance of the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The importance of reducing demand by means of effective drug education was highlighted with the release in Lisbon November 15 of the 2012 annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the drug agency of the European Commission and the European Union. Director Wolfgang Götz referred to the precarious financial situation in Europe and his concern over the impact this will have on European drug control strategies: pointing out, “It is essential to ensure that the available funds are invested in well-targeted activities of proven effectiveness.”
French Scientologists, climbing on their bicycles in Paris, cycled the 130 miles (209 km) to the border, meeting along the way with mayors and aldermen to promote drug prevention. As they entered Belgium, they were met by a team of Belgian Scientologists who joined them in cycling the remaining 65 miles (106 km) to the heart of Brussels, the capital of the European Union.
Dressed in bright turquoise T-shirts, the signature color of the Truth About Drugs campaign, they rode throughout the city, stopping to talk with people of all ages, and distributing more than 5,000 drug education publications and handouts. The cyclists also met with local shopkeepers and businesses to encourage them to join the campaign.
They completed their journey at the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, holding a conference on drug prevention in commemoration of UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
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 the Scientology website.
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.