New Study Shows Urgent Need for Drug Education on Synthetic Drugs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study calling for “education about the potentially life-threatening consequences of synthetic cannabinoid use.” The Foundation for a Drug-Free World makes drug education materials on synthetic drugs available to educators, law enforcement and civic and community organizations to provide this urgently needed service.

A recent study, published on the web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stresses the importance of drug education to prevent “life-threatening consequences” from the use of synthetic drugs.

The study is titled “Acute Poisonings from Synthetic Cannabinoids.” Cannabinoids are a group of active compounds found in marijuana.

It finds that “acute intoxications [intoxications so severe they may cause trauma, delirium, coma, and convulsions] by synthetic cannabinoids appear to be increasing in the United States,” and goes on to point out that these drugs are two to 100 times more potent than the active ingredient in cannabis.

Because of the emergence and alarming increase in use of synthetic drugs, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World has extended its The Truth About Drugs curriculum to include these substances.

This includes a booklet titled The Truth About Synthetic Drugs, apublic service announcement and a chapter of the award-winning documentary, The Truth About Drugs—Real People, Real Stories, on synthetic drugs.

The Church of Scientology and its members support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 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.