While Everything Else Ground to a Standstill During the Pandemic, Drug Abuse Did Not

Overdose deaths and increased consumption of heroin, cocaine and synthetic drugs in Italy drive volunteers from the Churches of Scientology of Sardinia to reach out to youth.

At loose ends? Anxious? Trapped at home with an abusive parent or partner? Just bored? Since the pandemic began, for whatever reason, Italians have turned to heroin, cocaine and synthetic drugs in increasing numbers, and the overdose deaths in Italy have surged. 

Aware that social media and word of mouth spread false claims making these drugs appear “safe” and inviting, volunteers from the Churches of Scientology of Sardinia launched a campaign to get the truth about drugs to the youth of their cities using booklets from Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

Wearing the distinctive Drug-Free World T-shirts, caps and jackets, volunteers pick out busy places where they can engage youth in conversation on this vital subject.

They ask them pointed questions: What drugs are they considering taking or already using? Do they know the short- or long-term effects of these substances? What have they heard about these drugs and where did they hear it? 

Once they have their attention, they hand them a booklet that presents the unvarnished truth about that drug. They are driven by the knowledge that each of these booklets can save lives.

Free Truth About Drugs E-courses are now available in 20 languages through the Drug-Free World website at drugfreeworld.org.

These courses cover:

• The reason people take drugs in the first place
• Essential facts about the most commonly used drugs
• The impact of these drugs on the lives of young people, presented by former users who speak from experience.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a volunteer-based organization. There are hundreds of groups internationally with many of them hosted by Churches of Scientology. The Church is its main sponsor, enabling the Foundation to provide this secular program and its materials free of charge to young people, parents, community leaders and drug educators worldwide.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: “For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs.”