Sharing the Truth About Drugs at a Sacramento Wellness Expo

At a wellness expo held in honor of Martin Luther King Day of Service, Drug-Free World Sacramento chapter educates families on the dangers of drugs.

Volunteers from the Sacramento chapter of Drug-Free World brought their drug education and prevention initiative to the North Sacramento Wellness Expo at Grant High School on January 21, Martin Luther King Day of Service. That same day, local news headlines highlighted the necessity of being informed about the danger of drugs when, some 85 miles away, one man died and 12 others had to be revived by paramedics after overdosing on fentanyl-laced drugs at a party in Chico.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and Addiction reports that even before the opioid epidemic of recent years, abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol cost the U.S. more than $68 billion in health care annually. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has found that every dollar spent, on drug prevention for youth can save up to 10 dollars in future costs. Despite this, effective drug education is sadly lacking in schools.

Dr. King once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” In exactly that vein, Scientology Churches sponsor chapters of Foundation for a Drug-Free World because their parishioners believe it is their responsibility to speak out about drug abuse.

For the past five years, Drug-Free World Sacramento chapter has participated in the Sacramento Wellness Expo, which is organized to provide community residents with services to help improve overall health and wellness. The Expo focuses on health equity and all social determinants linked to health.

Drug-Free World brings their award-winning drug education materials to the Expo and encourages those visiting their booth to pledge to live drug-free and urge their friends and families to do so too.

The Truth About Drugs materials are practical tools to educate young people about substance abuse. The core of the Foundation’s education program consists of the feature-length documentary, The Truth About Drugs: Real People—Real Stories. The documentary is supplemented by fourteen drug information booklets and award-winning public service announcements. More than 118 million copies of the booklets have been distributed in over 197 countries.

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 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.