Scientologists Help Youth Get Smart About “Smart Drugs” in Northern Italy

Church of Scientology of Pordenone reaching out to youth to proof them up against the flood of new psychoactive substances flooding Italy.

Italian youth are exposed to ever-increasing numbers of harmful substances, according to the country’s National Early Warning System (SNAP). In September, Italy’s Department for Anti-Drug Policies (DPA) announced they identified 280 new intoxicating substances in the country since 2009.

While the government rolls out its plan to cope with this crisis, volunteers from the Churches of Scientology in Italy are helping youth avoid the problem altogether. They provide young people with the knowledge they need to withstand peer pressure to experiment with the host of “smart” or designer drugs or new psychoactive substances that flood into Italian cities through the Internet.

Volunteers of the Church of Scientology of Pordenone set up a Truth About Drugs information booth October 13 at a race in the town of Orsago in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. They answered questions, distributed more than a thousand copies of The Truth About Drugs educational booklet, and encouraged youth to sign a pledge to live drug-free, because youth who are informed of the effects of drugs can more easily resist peer pressure and chose for themselves never to start drugs in the first place.

Scientologists on five continents work in their communities throughout the year to empower others with the truth about drugs. The Church and its members are dedicated to eradicating drug abuse through education.

The Church of Scientology supports The Truth About Drugs initiative, 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.

The Church of Scientology has published a 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 read 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.”