Reaching Out to Protect Spain’s Youth from Drug Abuse

As massive amounts of cocaine and other illegal substances enter the country from the region’s ports, the Say NO to Drugs team of c takes action to prevent drug addiction.

With their motto “I Know the Truth—I Say NO,” volunteers from Andalusia Without Drugs, the local chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, is carrying out a drug education campaign in a region in grave need of change.

Drug education and prevention is a priority for the Spanish government—and for good reason:

• Massive amounts of cocaine enter Spain from Andalusia ports—some of the main entry points for narcotics en route to the rest of Europe. And according to the latest report from the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), circulation of cocaine is higher than ever.
• Drunk and drugged driving is another important concern. A report from Spain’s National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Science found that of the 275 driver fatalities in the study who tested positive for substance use, 67 percent had consumed alcohol, 30 percent had taken an illicit drug and over 26 percent had consumed over-the-counter meds. Among those who had used an illicit drug, cocaine was present in 49 percent of cases and cannabis came second at 44 percent.
• Over-the-counter medications taken recreationally without prescription have escalated far more than any other drug group in recent years.

On a positive note, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction 2017 Drug Report, heroin and cocaine use in Spain has been declining in recent years. Even cannabis, which had been steadily increasing since 2006, declined for the first time the previous year and amphetamine use was also down.

Volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions throughout Spain are active in drug education and they work with and train other civic and nonprofit groups on the drug education curriculum of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Through this training, providing drug education lectures and distributing of materials, they are pushing forward the country’s drug prevention strategy as active partners and rallying others to join them.

Through its worldwide network of volunteers and partnerships, Foundation for a Drug-Free Word has distributed more than 109 million copies of Truth About Drugs booklets since first published in 2006.

According to the United Nations Office on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, “Every dollar spent on prevention can save governments up to ten dollars in later costs.”

The Church of Scientology and its members support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a secular nonprofit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to live drug-free. The Foundation’s Truth About Drugs campaign is one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention initiatives. As shown on a program on the Scientology TV Network, this support makes it possible for the Foundation to provide drug education booklets, videos and educator guides free of charge to teachers, mentors and civic and community leaders.

For more information, visit the Foundation for a Drug-Free World online or watch documentaries on the humanitarian efforts of Foundation partners on the Scientology TV Network.