2012 Year in Review – Drug-Free South Makes Major Strides with Tennessee Drug Education

Nashville, TN, December 29, 2012 --(PR.com)-- A recent study of 7th-12th-grade students revealed 10 percent of them abused over-the-counter drugs typically found in the home medicine cabinet. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that prescription drug abuse is the country’s fastest-growing drug problem. Drugs are finding their way into the nation’s classrooms and schoolyards.

According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 90 percent of addictions start in the teen years. Fortunately, some 50 percent of these cases can be prevented if parents talk to their children about avoiding drugs. The Truth About Drugs makes it easy for parents to do just that.

For a quarter of a century, Scientologists around the world have been working with youth, educators, parents, religious and community leaders and law enforcement officers to provide drug education to children and teens. The result is a series of drug education resources that work - a multimedia program that speaks to the youth of today, informing them of the truth about drugs and empowering them to make their own decisions to live drug-free.

The cornerstone of the program is a series of booklets that provide the facts about the most commonly abused drugs: marijuana, alcohol, Ecstasy, cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth, inhalants, heroin, LSD, prescription drugs, painkillers, and Ritalin.

Next is a series of 16 award-winning “They Said, They Lied” public service announcements. They are contemporary, high-impact communications aimed directly at youth.

Finally, the core of the Truth About Drugs educational program is a 100-minute documentary, The Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories. The film is a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred presentation told by former users who themselves survived life-shattering addiction.

Parents can order Truth About Drugs booklets and DVDs free of charge from the Scientology.org website or download the free Truth About Drugs Education Application onto their children’s iPads or iPhones, giving them the knowledge that will guarantee the joy of this holiday season is theirs for years to come.

The Tennessee Chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, which uses The Truth About Drugs materials, began the year by creating an entirely new website to document and track local activities. This website also serves as a new and easier way for schools and other agencies to contact them directly for seminars or materials.

Dozens of anti-drug lectures were delivered in Tennessee middle schools, high schools and universities this year, many as a direct result of the chapter’s increased presence on the web. The Tennessee Chapter visited more than 15 counties, resulting in thousands of students receiving information on the truth about drugs.

For more information on the Truth About Drugs program, or to order materials, visit drugfreesouth.org.