Drug Free World in Bangor, Maine

Scientology Church fights back against increase in drug use.

In response to the recent accidental drug overdose of her son's classmate, the Bangor Church of Scientology's Director launched the “Truth About Drugs” campaign Saturday with participation from the local business community.

“Substance abuse is a critical problem facing Maine state and local government and the communities they serve. It is associated with many types of crime, increased accidents, lost time at work, serious health problems, social dysfunction, and death.” says a report issued by the state's Office of Substance Abuse. The Office's statistics also show that the state of Maine has seen a 500% increase in drug overdose deaths in the past decade.

Internationally, the Church has been educating the public against abusing prescription and illegal drug abuse for decades and has now amped up their campaign with the production of “The Truth About Drugs” booklets. The booklets contain hard hitting facts, not scare tactics, to educate and raise awareness of the true hazards of drug use.

Each of the nine booklets highlight a different drug giving the reader all the available data and includes little known facts, about the drug. For example, in “The Truth About Marijuana” booklet, one of the facts the reader will learn is that marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer causing hydrocarbons than cigarettes.

“I think there has been a lot of failure in the past when anti-drug programs have used a 'scare tactic' approach. We have seen that this doesn't work, doesn't communicate to kids, and can actually have the reverse effect of increasing curiosity,” said Carol Lane, Director of the Bangor Church of Scientology. “Our program simply provides facts, the truth about drugs, their actual side effect and real life hazards; everything the drug dealers won't tell you. The truth is a powerful thing.”

Lane also thanked the Bangor, downtown business community for their participation in the program (these local shops are currently making available over 500 booklets in their store fronts) and said “With the enthusiasm I've seen coming from people, I know we can make a difference here in Bangor.”

The Foundation For a Drug Free World is an international non-profit organization established be the church to help combat the social epidemic of drug use and abuse world wide. The Foundation's illustrated publications are both easy to understand as well as compelling and include real stories from former users.

Booklets are available directly from the Church (located at 277 State Street) and can now be found in many of the downtown shops participating in the program.

For more information about the program please visit www.drugfreeworld.org or the Church of Scientology of Bangor.